Ups And Downs
by TheCreativePenguinLover
Summary: Taylor decides to start writing a diary to sum up her life in high school and to tell us how complicated it can actually get... (Chaylor)
1. Chapter 1

Here is the first chapter! I hope you will like it! I know that HSM is not that popular anymore, but I couldn't help myself. I just had to make a story because I was having so many ideas and a mess in my head. I really hope you like it and please, give me some reviews so I know whether I should continue or just give it up. Thanks so much! Enjoy. :D

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><p>Dear Diary,<p>

Is that how you start? That sounds so stupid. I promise I'll never use that again. Anyways, the reason I'm starting to write a "diary" at the age of 23 is because there is a lot of stuff happening in my life… Well, a lot of shit happened already, but it's not getting any better. I thought I'll just write it down… Just in case I forget or something. That's a stupid reason, but I really need to express myself somehow and since nobody wants to listen to me, all I have left is a pen and this huge notebook.  
>Anyhow, back to my depressing life. It all started when I was in high school… Actually in kindergarten, but I don't wanna waste my time writing about my early childhood, primary and middle school. Those where the embarrassing times for all of us, I'm sure. So as I was saying, all my recent problems started when I was in high school. I remember that day as it was yesterday…<p>

It was around 8 a.m. I was waiting for my brother Tony and my dad to come home. It was supposed to be my first day in high school so I was super nervous. I loved school, but I wasn't looking forward to going to high school. I mean, I the only people I knew were the ones I went to middle school with, but I never talked to them anyway. My best friend decided to move and she left me all alone… All I knew was that I wasn't going to be bullied or anything, because my brother was a junior, he was one of the most popular kids at school, he was in the basketball team and he was one of the best. Plus, my dad was the basketball coach, so I was going to be OK.

Since I lost all the hopes for any social life, I decided to study as hard as possible and get the best grades. It wasn't hard for me; I always was the best student. Straight As all the time. I was hoping that if I focus on school the school year will just pass faster. That was the only bright side of all that what was going to come later…

Anyways, I was sitting there, looking through my Facebook news feed. That got me even more nervous. All the "cool" girls from my middle school were writing about how excited they were for high school and how they couldn't wait to start being a high school student. It was funny though, because I was 80% sure most of them would fail the first year. They were all so stupid, I almost felt sorry for them.

"Taylor! Your father is here!" My mom called me from downstairs.

"Comin'!" I answered and turned my computer off. It took it about 10 minutes to turn off completely.  
>So what I did was I clicked on 'shut down' and left it there. It would turn off eventually. My new school year resolution was to earn some money somehow so I could buy a new one. The old one was getting on my nerves.<p>

I grabbed my hoodie, put it on and looked at myself in the mirror just in case my hair looked like a crazy person's. It happens sometimes when I get it done like one hour before I go out. Fortunately, my hair looked fine. I always put it in a ponytail because I'm only going to school, don't need to look like a diva. Plus, a ponytail took me just a second and I really didn't feel like dealing with my hair in the morning and it wasn't worth it at all. I ran down the stairs into the dining room. Oh yeah, my dad was there and so was my brother. But my bro decided to bring his dear friend with him, Chad. I said 'dear' because they knew each other since they were 5. Actually, my brother was 7 and Chad was 5 but you get my point. Long as hell. Chad lived in the house right next to ours. He and his mom moved here after his parents divorced. As I said, he was 5 then and so was I. The week after they moved in, my parents decided to be some great sitcom neighbors and greet them. They did it only because all the other neighbors hated us. It was because of Tony, he was a huge troublemaker back then, he would break their windows and stuff. But of course he didn't mean it. He was just that type of a kid, he loved making mess. Anyways, Tony and Chad immediately became friends. They were really alike. They loved to annoy me. Once they even tied me to the chair up in the tree house and left me there for hours. My dad found me and he was really pissed. But that didn't stop them from annoying me. They did it anyways. Plus, you might wanna remember Chad's name for later. Just sayin'.

"You ready to go baby?" my dad asked. He always called me baby. I was his freakin' favorite, that's why my brother and sister went nuts. And I kinda hated that…

"Yeah, of course." I said.

"Of course she is, she can't wait to go to school. You might as well give her a sleeping-bag." my brother said laughing. Chad just smiled. I could hear my sister laughing her head off in the living room.

"Shut up!" I punched him on the arm.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" my mom interrupted us. "Taylor, you should be happy that you are starting a new chapter in your life and you Tony, as her big brother, should support her."

Support my ass, I thought. "Yeah, of course mom! I will support her, alright!" Tony said. Then he put his arm around my neck and started messing up my hair.

"Stop!" I screamed and pushed him away. God, was he annoying. "Just leave me alone!" I started fixing my hair.

"Anthony." my dad gave him the look, and when my dad gave you the 'look' you knew that you had to stop.

"Sorry." Tony said. Though he didn't mean it. He just gave me one of his evil smiles. "I was just trying to show her what high school is like. Especially to nerds." He looked over at Chad to see whether he was laughing. But he just stood there.

"I'm sorry man, but no." he said and looked at me. I looked right away. I hated awkward eye contact.

Then all of the sudden my big sister came out of the living room, wearing some baggy T-Shirt and sweatpants. The only thing I can say about her is that we are not alike… AT ALL. That usually made me think either one of us is adopted. I mean, we did look kinda similar, but our personalities were totally different. She was 7 years older than me, she was a girly girl (wearing all that make up and slutty clothes) and she did TERRIBLE in school. She was usually suspended for misbehaving, disobeying the school rules and stuff like that. Once they wanted to expel her, but since my dad worked at that school, they changed their minds. So yeah, she was 23 and she was still living with her parents. Reasons? What she told mom and dad was that she looked really hard but she couldn't find a good job. The truth was that she was lazy and my parents knew that very well.

"Shut up!" she walked up to Tony and slapped him on the back of his head. "Don't make her nervous. She'll find everything out soon." she looked at me with an evil smile. Damn, I must have been adopted for sure.

"Thanks I guess." I walked up to the door and opened it. "Let's go, we'll be late." I said to my dad.

"She's right, you better get going." my mom agreed. She walked up to me and hugged me. "Have fun" she smiled. I just smiled back.

"Yeah, let's go." Tony nudged Chad and they went out of the house. It was only me, Mom, Dad and Destiny, my sister.

"God, I'm so happy I'm done with high school already" she said and she leaned against the wall.

"We all are." Dad looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back, 'cause I got the joke.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Destiny asked kind of offended.

"Nothing honey, don't worry about it." he kissed the top of her head and we went out of the house. The guys were waiting outside, near my dad's car.

"What are you waiting for, get it." my dad said.

"Yeah dad, you see… I'm a junior now, I don't want everybody to see me getting out of my daddy's car." Tony said.

"Hmmm." my dad thought for a moment. "Ok then, you go and Chad will come with us.

"Ummm… It's OK coach, I'll go with Tony." Chad smiled.

My dad sighed. "OK, you two go and Taylor will go with me. We'll see each other at school." he said kind of disappointed.

"Sorry pops." Tony patted Dad on the back and the boys started walking towards the school.

When we were already in the car, driving to school, I could feel my stomach going crazy. It felt like someone took my guts and started tying them in bows. Yeah, it was that bad.

"Are you OK baby?" Dad looked at me when we stopped at the red light.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said. It was obvious I wasn't, 'cause when I spoke, my voice cracked a bit.

"Hey look, I know it's really stressful for you, but don't worry. You'll walk in there and meet your new teachers and probably some new friends too." he smiled. That wasn't helping at all. And I was 98% sure he just gave me the same speech as he gave me on my first day in primary school. Oh no, it was getting worse.

"I know it will be hard to adjust, but you know some kids from before right?" he asked. Oh yeah, I couldn't wait to see those bitches again. "Plus, your brother is there so you can ask him where the class is when you get lost." Oh yeah, my brother. He was going to carry me to the class for sure. "And the most important" he continued. "I will be there. You can come and see me anytime." he smiled again. Yeah, everybody will think I'm a daddy's girl. That was going to get me tons of friends for sure.

"Yeah daddy, I know that." I said. I think I did a small, fake smile. Though I'm not sure. I was too sick to remember. Finally, we pulled up in front of the school. It was a huge, modern building. I started to feel less sick, mainly because I was amazed by its size. Don't worry though; I got my sickness right back when I saw how many people were there. In front of the school, on the stairs, on the sport courts, EVERYWHERE. I knew I wasn't going to survive a day there.

"Are you ready?" Dad asked me.

"Yeah…" I said quietly. I was still staring at the school.

"Come on, let's go." he got out of the car. I hesitated for a second, but got out also. It was too late to escape. We walked all the way through the square they had there to the door. I kept looking down. I knew that if I started staring at someone, I would get into trouble and I didn't need that at all. A few older guys ran up to us and greeted Dad. From what I heard, all the kids at school loved him. Especially the guys who were in the basketball team. I couldn't really tell if that was good or bad for me though. I guessed I was going to find out later on.

When we came into the school, my dad told me where I should go to get to my first class and he went to the gym. Yeah, he left me there all alone in the middle of the corridor. Fortunately no one was paying attention to me. There were so many people walking around, that I had to walk up to the wall, there were less people there. I decided to stand there for a moment and maybe search for my brother. There was no sign of him, obviously. I knew that was going to happen. I tried to calm down and not freak out completely. I just took out my schedule and looked at it. My first class was English in M16. I just had to find the room M16. That meant I had to push through the crowded hall and look through the other corridors. I stood on my tip toes (because I was short) and I started to look for a less crowded place. I found it. It was another corridor left from where I was standing. There was barely anyone there. I counted until 5 and I started pushing through people, saying 'excuse me' every second. Finally, I got out of the crowded area and started walking down the almost empty hall. When I looked at the numbers above the doors, it said D and the number. I decided to look at my schedule to see whether I had any classes there, just for the future reference. So while I was walking I was looking down at my schedule… and BAM! I bumped into someone. My schedule fell on the floor and so did the other person's books.

"I'm soooo sorry!" she started apologizing to me. She was my height and she had dark brown hair.

"No, it's OK. Don't worry." I said and I kneeled down to help her pick up her things.

"Thanks." she smiled, gathered all her books and we both got up. "I was just reading the book and I wasn't paying attention to the people around me. I'm sorry for bumping into you."

"No, it's really OK. Don't worry about it." I smiled and looked at the schedule. I recognized it wasn't mine, because mine had my name on it and this one didn't. "Hey, I think that's yours." I handed her the schedule.

"Hmmm." she looked at it. "Wait." she looked at the one she was holding and giggled. "I guess this one is yours." she gave me mine back.

"Thanks." I smiled and looked at mine. For a second I thought our schedules were the same. "Hey, can I have yours for a sec? Just to see something?"

"Sure." she gave me hers. I looked at them for a moment. They were exactly the same. "Guess what, we have the same schedules."

"Oh, that's so cool!" she smiled. "I'm Gabriella!" she pulled her hand out.

"Hey, I'm Taylor." I smiled and shook her hand. She seemed really nice. Plus, I wasn't going to walk around by myself anymore.

"Nice to meet you. Do you maybe know where M16 is?" she asked. " I'm totally lost."

"Well, I'd love to help you… But I don't know where it is either." I looked at her clueless.

"OK then let's go find it?" she smiled and we started looking for the class.

When we finally found it (I have no idea how we managed to do it though), we sat in the desk near the wall. The desks were kind of weird, they were big enough for 3 people to fit. There were also three chairs next to ours. That Gabriella girl sat on the edge, I sat next to her and the place next to me stayed empty. We just started talking about the school in general. She told me she just moved to our town a few weeks ago and stuff… Just a bunch of random stuff. I really enjoyed talking to her though. While we were talking, people kept coming into the class. Finally, the class was filled with other kids and the bell rang. I saw some girls from my middle school and some that lived on my street. Fortunately, they didn't like me so I didn't have to avoid talking to them, they would ignore me anyways.

It was really loud in the classroom. People were still talking about their summer and what they did. Everyone went quiet when the teacher came into the room. She looked very strict. She was quite tall… Well, taller than me, and she had that kind of bleached blond hair. She was wearing some sort of a suit for woman I guess and she had glasses. But not regular ones, the ones in those big, fat spectacle frames. Those made her look really pissed for some reason.

"Good morning!" she started speaking loudly. "My name is Anne Johnson and I will be your English and homeroom teacher. Before I start telling you about our school, I must remind you that you are in high school now. That means you are expected to show superior behavior at all times." she looked at us seriously. Then, someone knocked on the door. She looked at it surprised. "Yes?"

The door opened and Chad showed up. He was obviously late. To tell you the truth, that didn't surprise me at all. I went to primary and middle school with him and he would always be late. Though he always found a way to get away with it.

"I'm sorry I'm late." he closed the door and started walking towards the desks.

"Excuse me?" she looked at him shocked. He stopped walking and looked at her. "Young man, you are 5 minutes late. That is unacceptable, specially because it is your first and the most important period this year."

"Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry ma'am. I just got lost." he said like he didn't care at all.

She looked at him for a moment. "I hope that never happens again. I expect you to be on time for my class. Now sit down."

He sighed and looked at the class. He clearly had no idea where to sit. I kept looking at him until we caught an eye contact. He smiled and started walking towards our desk. I was hoping he wasn't going to sit next to us, but he did.

"Hey." he whispered to me.

"Hey. Why did you sit here?" I whispered back. I didn't mean to be rude, I just wanted to know.

"You're the only person I know in here." he whispered. We both were looking at the teacher. In case she looked at us, we would stop talking. That was an old habit that developed back in primary school and stayed pretty much forever.

"Oh really? Isn't that your ex girlfriend there?" I smiled a bit and pointed at one girl that was sitting near the window, across from us.

"Yeah, no shit." he whispered sarcastically. I giggled. I loved to make him feel uncomfortable. He would always react in a funny way.

"Be quiet now, I don't wanna get into trouble." I whispered kind of serious. He smiled and mouthed an exaggerated 'OK'. I had to tell him to stop, because once he started talking to me, he wouldn't stop. And I really don't know why. I guess he was just really talkative.

The whole day at school wasn't that bad. Probably because I made friends with Gabriella and I wasn't feeling that lonely anymore. I found out that we have a lot in common, we both liked reading, we both liked studying and we both enjoyed numbers. You have no idea what a relief it was to meet a person with the same interests as you on the first day of school. I was hoping we will become good friends soon.

So as you found out before, I had all my classes with Gabriella. Our schedules were identical. And of course we both didn't mind that at all. The only thing that bothered me… well, not really bothered but kind of surprised me was the fact that I had Science and Math with Chad too. Only the hard subjects, plus English. Last year I had Math with him and… he just sucked at it. He sucked at all the subjects that contain numbers and counting in general. I guessed I would witness him struggle with Chemistry and Physics this year. Poor guy. Though he wasn't stupid or anything, he was just really lazy.

That day we didn't have any serious classes. The teachers just did short introductions. Most of them really formally; their name, what we were going to do this year and what they require from us. The only teacher that was different was the Math teacher. She was really, really nice. She was smiling the whole time; when she came into the classroom, when she told us about her subject, when she asked us our names. Yeah, she was the only one who wanted to know our names. We also talked about our summer and what we did then. Not everybody wanted to share their summer with the whole class of course (and I was one of them), but other kids went to Florida or California to visit their families or some even went to Europe. It was really interesting. The teacher seemed to actually care about us a bit. She was terrific. I loved Math and the fact that we got a nice Math teacher made me happy.

Taylor M.


	2. Chapter 2

So here is the second chapter! Sorry it took me so long to post it, but I was hoping for more reviews on the 1st one. However, the statistics for the 1st were good so I decided to post it. Plus, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting! Thanks a lot for reading it, it really means a world to me. :D

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><p>After the school was done, I and Gabriella were hanging out by our lockers. Mine was 2 lockers away from hers, so we were really close. We were standing there, talking about the whole day. We both agreed on the fact that the Math teacher was amazing. Then, suddenly I saw my brother walking down the corridor. He saw us and started walking towards us. I knew he noticed I have a new friend and I was sure he will do something to embarrass me in front of her. But, surprisingly, he did not.<p>

"Ayo Taylor, I saw dad just a sec ago. He said that you can go home if you wanna." he said and walked up to us.

"Why? Where is he?" I asked. My dad promised me a ride home, so I was surprised when I heard I had to go home by myself.

"He's at the gym. He's having the tryouts for the team. Didn't he tell you that?"

"Nope."

"Well a lot of kids showed up, so he's gonna stay here for another hour. He told me to find you and tell you that you can either go home or wait for us."

"Well… I guess I'll wait." I said. I really didn't feel like walking all the way home by myself. "You wanna come with me?" I asked Gabriella.

"Yeah, sure. My mom said she'll pick me up in 45 min.. So I guess I'll hang out with you guys." she smiled.

"We're staying." I looked at Tony.

"Aight. Come to the gym then." he turned his back to us and started walking towards the gym. We just followed him without saying a word.

When we came into the gym, the first thing we saw was around 20 guys our age and some maybe a bit older. We just climbed up on the top of grandstand and sat there. From there we were able to see everything in the gym. It was a huge hall with a really powerful echo. There were around 8 basketball baskets, 3 pairs across from each other (smaller courts) and 2 baskets for usual games. The whole gym was mainly for basketball, but in the corner there was a lot of equipment for other sports, like football, soccer, and gymnastics and so on. My dad was sitting on the bench beneath the grandstand and writing something down on his paper. He took the basketball team really seriously and he had to make sure that there will be no, I quote, "little girls and crybabies" in his team. The guys that were there seemed quite athletic and while they were playing a short game to warm up, they seemed to know what they were doing. I might have not been the biggest fan of basketball, but I've seen enough basketball games to tell whether someone can play or not.

"Wow, I'm actually enjoying this." Gabriella said. She was staring at the guys.

"Huh?" I wasn't sure what she meant.

"Some of these guys are actually hot." she smiled.

"Whatever." I laughed and shook my head.

"No, I'm serious!" she laughed. "Like that one over there." she pointed at some guy practicing free throws.

"Well…" I looked at him. "He's not bad". He really wasn't.

"Also, that friend of yours… What's his name?" she looked at me.

"Which one?" I asked as if I had many friends. Obviously I didn't.

"Umm… The one that sat next to us the whole day."

"Chad?" I looked at her surprised.

"Yeah, him. Please don't tell me that he's not hot, I'm sure we both know he is." she gave me a serious look.

I had to think really hard on this one. Chad hot? I looked over at him and thought about it. I noticed I never told you what he looked like before, so I guess I will make that up right now. Chad was my brother's height (around 5'9"), his skin was a bit lighter than mine and he had a classic 'fro. There was nothing special about his natural looks though, but he had that dark brown hair color and his curls were a bit bigger. He was just like the other guys. He had two eyes, two ears, a nose and lips. I never understood why some girls went nuts about that guy. There were so many guys that were hotter than him, I swear.

"Well, I don't know…" I looked at her.

"Oh come on!" she laughed.

"No, it's not that… I just know this guy since we were 5 years old… I can't think of him as anything but a brother." I said. And I lied of course, but I didn't want her to think that… I preferred girls over guys, 'cause I didn't. Chad just wasn't my type.

"Oh, OK. Let's leave him alone and move on to the next guy, huh?" she smiled and she continued looking around the gym.

"Sure." I said and I looked at the guys too. I found some really decent looking ones there, but then, all of the sudden, reality hit me. Why was I doing that when I knew that none of those guys is going to look at me anyway? They were all the same, idiots who only wanted to date some hot girls and fool around their whole life. I obviously wasn't one of these hot girls. And even if I was, I wouldn't bother hanging out with those jerks. I'm just not that type of person.

"Alright gentleman, line up!" Dad said loudly and got up from the bench. All the dribbling stopped and the guys lined up in front of my dad… and us of course.

"Is that your dad?" Gabriella whispered to me.

"Yeah, that's my dad. He's the coach." I whispered back.

"That's soo cool." she smiled. I giggled.

"I'm really happy to see so many of you here." Dad continued. "I hope you know what you're about to get yourself into. This is serious. If you want to be a part of the team, you need to be a part of it 100%. We already have a lot of members, but there used to be more of us. A lot of them gave up, because they didn't manage to connect school work with the team obligations." he had a strict look on his face, but he wasn't strict at all. I mean, if you did everything as he said and if you didn't question his methods, he was the calmest person ever. He never got mad at me though, because I was his favorite. I told you that already, sorry for bragging.

So the whole tryout went OK. Most of the guys got into the team, some didn't. Chad got in too. Now here's the deal with Chad. He was the best basketball player I ever met personally. He was just amazing at it. While he played you could see the determination in his eyes. He would forget about the whole world and focus on the ball. Unlike my brother, who always had to take a look at the ladies. My dad knew he was going to make it to the team, he even told me that there is no need for a tryout for him, but that wouldn't be fair to the other boys. He was right.

When we went out of the school, Gabriella had to run to the parking lot because her mom was waiting for her. We agreed to meet in front of the school the next day in the morning. When she went, I had to wait for my dad and my brother. I sat on the bench near the huge tree that was in front of the school. I took out my schedule to see what I had the next day. No hard subjects, so I felt relieved. I know I told you I loved school and stuff, but I just had 2 months of freedom and I was still a bit lazy.

Finally, I saw my dad, my brother… and Chad coming towards me. Great, he had to come with us, didn't he?

"Sorry it took so long." Dad said and looked at me.

"No, it's fine." I got up.

"Now, meet Chad, the new member of our team." my dad smiled and looked at Chad.

"I'm glad you made it." I told Chad.

"Thanks.." he smiled.

"Oh come on!" Tony whined. "It was obvious he would make it to the team. He is a beast!" he chuckled and patted Chad on the back.

"Yeah, you all are. Can we just go home?" I said with my annoyed voice. I didn't mean to be rude, I was just really tired.

"Sure." my dad laughed. "Let me just find my keys" he reached to his pocket.

"You have them?" I asked him.

"No.. Damn, I must have left them in my office. You guys wait here, I'll be right back." he said and he started walking back to school. I wished I went with him, because he left me alone with Chad and Tony.

"So kids, how was your day?" Tony asked us and it sounded as if he was at least ten years older than us.

"Like you care." I said. Now I meant to be rude.

"You're right, I don't. I saw you have a new friend. Who's she?" he sat down on the bench where I was sitting just a second ago.

"None of your business."

"Alright. Don't tell me. I'm just surprised someone wanted to talk to you. I bet in few days she'll see how boring you are and she'll get some better friends." he said and he smiled evilly. I just gave him a mad look. I hated that smile of his. He always smiled that way when he made fun of me. It meant that he knew he said something that hurt me and that made him really happy and proud.

Chad laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Tony asked him. He didn't really like the way Chad laughed, because he clearly wasn't laughing at his stupid joke.

"Nothin'… It's just funny how you two always get in fights. You're siblings, are you supposed to be so mean to each other?" he asked.

"You're the only kid, you wouldn't understand it." Tony said and he looked at me. That look meant 'don't disagree'. My brother was an ass, I know. But I was used to it. I learned to ignore him.

"Aight, if you say so…" Chad said and looked at me. His eyes looked like he was looking for an answer, for me to react to Tony's mean comments. I just looked away.

"Damn, I need a puff." Tony looked up at Chad. "You got anything?"

"Nah." Chad said.

"Oh yeah, you don't smoke." he got up and looked at the school. "I'm going. Tell pops I went with my friends, K?"

"Yeah, sure…" Chad said. "But where you goin'?"

"I gotta get… somethin'. And later I gotta meet my girl and stuff. Just tell him that I went to play basketball with some guys, K?" he looked at me.

"Yeah, I will." I said. My brother and sister would always go and do some stupid stuff. I just stayed at home and covered for them. When my sister came home drunk, I closed her in her room and told my parents that she was sick. They trusted me, so they didn't go and check. It made me feel really guilty, but I didn't want trouble with my brother or sister. I really didn't. I just did what they told me to and everything was fine.

"Aight, see ya then." he took his bag with his basketball stuff and he went. Me and Chad just stood there. It was really awkward.

"Why don't you ever tell him to f*ck off?" he asked me.

"Why? I thought he was your friend." I sat down on the bench.

"He is my friend, but come on. You're his sister and he treats you real bad."

"Yeah, I know that."

"So stand up for yourself."

"I can't…"

"If I was you, I would tell him to buzz off." he sat next to me.

"It's not that easy, you know…"

"If you don't try, you'll never know." he said and looked at me. I gave him a confused look. Why was he even talking to me about this?

"I guess…" I said and I looked down at the ground. It might have looked like I was upset, but I just wanted to avoid the eye contact.

"Yeah… Anyways, how do you like the school?" he asked and he started dribbling his ball while he was sitting.

"I actually like it.. I mean, I thought it would be worse."

"Same. I like everything except the English teacher. She needs to chill." he chuckled.

"Yeah, she does… Too bad she's our homeroom teacher. I can't picture myself talking to her about my grades and stuff…"

"Oh don't worry about it. Your grades are perfect. Imagine her talking to me." he stopped dribbling and looked at me. "She will hate me." he smiled. I giggled.

"No she won't. She might be surprised at first, but she'll get used to it like everybody else did." I smiled.

"My grades suck and you know it." he laughed and started to spin the ball on his finger. "Plus, I bet she doesn't like me already. I was only few minutes late and she looked like she wanted to bite my head off."

"She did.." I said and laughed. "I guess we just need to get used to her."

Taylor M.


	3. Chapter 3

The first week of school wasn't that bad. The teachers were quite nice, some strict, some less. The English teacher still didn't "chill". She was as strict as she was on the first day. We had English quite often and I was always trying to find an excuse to skip it, especially in the morning. I know, me wanting to skip class? What the hell? But you have to understand one thing. When you came into her class and when you sat down… it felt like you were standing against the wall, blindfolded and there was a gun put to you head. You would never know what to expect next. I liked English before; I liked reading and writing stuff. But she made it feel like a survival game, I swear. However, I decided to take the challenge. I mean, there was no way out anyway. And I still wanted that laptop. My parents promised they would pay half of the price if A was at least 90% of all my grades. After one week in high school I understood that it was a trap and they planned it all from the very beginning.

After a week and a half everyone got a… kind of "social group" they belong to. The guys who joined the basketball team immediately became the "cool" ones and they hung out with the older guys. Some chicks joined the cheer leading squad, mainly the ones I knew from before. How ironic. Everywhere I go, I'm surrounded by the people I strongly dislike. And the people I can't imagine my life without leave me. Like my best friend did. I didn't tell you about her, I know. I guess I can tell you now. Her name was Lisa and she was a geek, just like me. I met her in middle school, she moved here because of her dad's job. He was a CEO in some big transport company. Her mom didn't need to work at all. And yeah, I know how this sounds to you. My friend probably was some full of herself princess. But she wasn't. She was the most normal, the most down to Earth person I knew. Plus, she didn't even look rich. Don't get me wrong, I don't judge people by their looks. But we all, unconsciously, do that sometimes.

So, we met when we were 11 and we became best friends right away. We would do homework together, always do all the possible projects together, study together, go to the movies together, play together, laugh together, and dance together… She really changed my life. The 5 years of the amazing friendship… I always missed her. She moved because her dad moved her business to New York. It was really hard for me. She was the only real friend I ever had. Sometimes I felt selfish. I mean, yeah, it was hard for me, but imagine how hard it was for her. She had to move again. Go to a new school again. Make new friends AGAIN. I couldn't imagine myself going through that. I wasn't really opened back then.

I and Lisa stayed in touch though. We still are. I remember I would call her on Skype every day after school and talk to her for hours. We could talk forever if no one interrupted us. You could never tell what the topic of our conversation was, we would change it so fast and only we could follow it. Usually we talked about nothing, just random stuff we saw that day or what happened in our favorite TV series.

It was Tuesday afternoon, I was lying on my bed, reading a book. It was Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. I can't say I was reading it… More like I was TRYING to read it. You see, the problem with me was that I loved literature and Shakespeare was a true genius and all… The problem was that I couldn't understand his drama. The ones about love to be exact. I wasn't a romantic person, nor did I like anything that had to do with romance in general. It was hard for me to understand that someone would love the other person so much that they couldn't live without them, so they had to kill themselves. It just didn't get to me at all. Shakespeare was a pain in the ass for me, because all we read was his over dramatic love stories.

While I was on my bed, trying to figure out what Abraham meant by "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?", when I heard the Skype sound, the one that comes on when someone calls you. I looked over at the computer and when I saw it was Lisa, I literally threw the book across the room and jumped off the bed. I ran up to the computer and answered.

"Hey, what's up?" I said and I sat on my chair, in front of the desk.

"Hey Tay! What's up with me? What's up with you? How's school?" she asked. She turned her camera on. She always did that the second I answered. She preferred talking to me in that way, because we could see each other. I agreed with her. It felt like we were having a conversation in person, not over the computer.

"My school? Well, it could always be better… But you know, I ended up with the barbies, so…" I said. I turned my camera on too. The problem with my camera was that it needed quite a while to turn on, so I could see her way before she saw me.

"Oh yeah… That sucks. But are there any other people? I bet there are."

"Yeah… I met this one girl, Gabriella.. She's super nice!" I said and smiled. Finally my camera decided to turn on.

"See? I knew you would. What's she like?"

"Oh, you know… She's a lot like us." I smiled and leaned back on my chair.

"A geek, huh?" she laughed and she moved her laptop to her bed.

"Yeah, a bit. But she's really nice and funny… You'd like her."

"I bet I would…" she smiled. "How's everyone else?"

"Everyone else aka Tony, huh?" I asked her and smiled. She always had a huge crush on my brother. I had no idea why, he was usually mean to her or he just ignored her. Either way, she was nuts about him.

"Yeah, him too…" she said and she laughed immediately. "While we're at it, how is he?"

I laughed. She still liked him, it was obvious. "He's fine I guess… But you didn't tell me about your new school yet! How is it?" I asked. I wanted to get off the Tony topic.

"It's fine. I actually met a bunch of awesome people. They are like me and all… Really cool people. I miss you too much though." she made a sad face.

"I miss you too, you have no idea. Are you guys going to come and visit?"

"I still don't know… My parents told me that there is no reason to come there, since our whole family is here, in New York…" she said and she gave me a sad look.

"That sucks… Did you tell them that you want to visit me?"

"About million times. They just don't listen… I mean, come on. You know my parents. They think it's pointless. They think it's pointless if they spend money to send me all the way there just to see you…"

"So that means I will never see you again?" I asked. I was really disappointed after I heard what she told me.

"No, of course not! Just… Just you won't see me any soon. And that kinda sucks…"

"It really does…"

"Hey, but don't worry!" she smiled. "I will figure something out, I'll make them let me see you!"

"Now that's better!" I said and laughed.

We talked for another 2 hours. She mainly told her where she lived, what her apartment was like and what her neighborhood looked like. I told her everything that happened last week, including bumping into Gabriella, about my brother being an ass as usual and how Chad would follow me around less than he did the first three days. As I said before, a bunch of random stuff. And we would talk way longer, but my sister had to invade my room and steal my laptop, because she crashed hers. Typical. So of course I had to hang up on Lisa and give her my computer. I found the book, lied down on the bed and tried to continue reading it. I read 3 pages only and I couldn't do it anymore. I put the book away and looked at the ceiling. I started thinking about the school, mainly about the week that just passed. It was quite successful for me. I made a new friend, the school year didn't seem to be hard or become hard any soon and I my social life didn't seem like a disaster anymore. At that point, when I was lying on my bed and thinking, I was quite optimistic about the first year in high school. And I was right. The problems came later. I guess I just couldn't predict everything that was going to happen later. Sometimes I wished I knew what was coming, but then I thought it was fun not to. I always looked back to the times when my life was easy and bright. I miss those times. I really do.

Taylor M.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter! It doesn't really focus on Chaylor, because I wanted you to get to know Taylor's relations with her family members... Mostly her brother, Tony. :D

I hope you like it and thank you for all the encouraging reviews on the previous chapters! :D

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>I came home at 4pm. I had a really boring day. It turned out that we would spend most of that school year on repeating the things we already did back in middle and primary school. I was disappointed, mainly because I thought that high school would be more advanced and we would learn stuff we never learned before. Clearly, I was wrong. The "interesting" stuff came later, but not the first year. Therefore, I could relax because I was… well quite good at the things we were doing at that time.<p>

As I said, I came home at 4pm. I finished school at 3, but I stayed at the library to do my homework and I came home right after I was done. I didn't feel like waiting for Dad to finish the practice. It was a waste of time, when I could come home and maybe study a bit for tomorrow, just in case. Tony came with me. He didn't stay for the practice, because he injured his shoulder two days ago and Dad told him not to come to the practice, even though Tony said he was fine.

When we came into the house, the first thing he did was drop on the couch in front of the TV. As usual though. When I came in, I dropped my backpack on the floor in the hall and looked around. The house seemed too quiet.

"Yo Taylor, ask Des what's for lunch?" Tony yelled from the living room.

"Yeah, sure." I said and went to the kitchen. She wasn't there. I was surprised when I didn't find her. When she was home alone, she was usually hanging on the phone in the kitchen or the living room all day long. But she wasn't there. I walked to the living room and found my brother lying on the couch in front of the TV with his legs up on the arm rest.

"I don't think she's home." I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked and he looked up at me.

"I checked in the kitchen and she's not there."

"Not there?" he asked and got up from the couch. "Where is she then? I'm hungry!"

"I don't know…" I said and started wondering where Destiny could hide her lazy ass. I finally got an idea. "Hey, maybe she's upstairs, in her room?"

"Maybe…" he said and looked at the stairs. "I'll go there and check. You go to the kitchen and look for food."

"Alrighty." I said and headed back to the kitchen. I heard Tony running up the stairs. You see, when it came to food, Tony was serious. Especially when he was hungry.

When I came into the empty kitchen, I walked up to the refrigerator to check whether she prepared something for us. However, when I reached for the handle to open it, I noticed that little yellow note paper hanging on the door. I stuck it off and read the note. It said:

_Hey kids, sorry I didn't cook nothin, but I had a job interview. Sorry, Des._

"Wow, how typical." I thought and looked at the paper again. Always when she had to take care of us, she decided to make some other plans.

I heard Tony running down the stairs. He ran into the kitchen.

"I checked upstairs, she ain't there." he said and looked at me.

"Yeah, well, look what she left." I handed him the note.

"What?" he asked. He walked up to me and took the note. He read it and rolled his eyes. "Is she serious?"

"I guess so, she wrote this."

"Damn." he whined and stuck the paper to the table. "What are we supposed to do now? I'm starving!"

"I don't know." I said and opened the refrigerator. "There's nothing in here." I sighed and slammed the door.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm ordering a pizza." he said and he reached for the house phone.

"Hey, I want pizza too!" I protested. I was also really hungry.

"Well, get yo' own!" he picked up the phone.

"How much is it?"

"12 bucks." he said and he started dialing the number.

"Do you even have that?" I asked and I went to the hall to find my backpack. My wallet was inside.

"Yeah, I got like…" he reached to his pocket and took some money out. "I got six bucks."

I came into the kitchen with my wallet and looked inside. "I got… six too." I said and looked at him.

He looked at me fast. We were standing there for like three seconds, staring at each other. Finally, he got it. He smiled like and angel.

"Tay, you know how you're my favorite sister?" he asked. It was obvious that he wanted my money. I'm surprised it took him 3 seconds to realize that six plus six equals 12. Usually it took him longer.

"No way, forget it." I said kind of upset. "You didn't want to share it with me in the first place!"

"Alright, alright! We'll share it. How many pieces are there?"

"Eight..." I replied slowly. He seriously didn't know how many pieces a pizza had.

"K then, you can have…" he paused and he started thinking. It was quite painful to see him struggle like that with kindergarten math. He finally gave up. "You can have half and I'll have the other half."

"But I don't think I can eat four pieces…" I said. It might have sounded innocent, but I meant to confuse him again in next few sentences. "I can only have… 3."

"So that means I gotta eat…" he started thinking again. This time he got it. "Five? Okay then, no probs. I'll eat more." he said and he was about to dial the number again.

"Okay… But you know that means I need to pay less than six bucks, 'cause I'm not eating a half of it, I'm eating three eights." I said. He slowly put the phone down and looked at me. You should have seen the look on his face. He was confused more than ever.

"So how much do you pay then?" he asked slowly.

"Well, let's see…" I said and I acted like I was thinking. I was acting only because I already thought this through. "Okay, so the whole pizza is 12 bucks and it has 8 pieces and that means we need to divide 12 by 8 and we get 1.5, if I'm not mistaking. We calculated that one piece is 1.5 dollars, so now to know how much I need to pay, we have to multiply 1.5 with 3 and we get 4.5. We do the same for you, so 1.5 times 5 is 7.5. 4.5 plus 7.5 equals 12, so it's okay. That means I pay 4.5 and you 7.5 bucks." I said and smiled. He had the stupidest look on his face. He was looking at me as if I just told him that mom and dad sold us to Destiny and we will work as her slaves for the rest of our lives. His facial expression was quite amusing.

"You know what? I'll skip the fact that you are a freakin' weirdo and get to the point. From all your babbling all I heard is that I have to pay 7.5 bucks. Well guess what, not happening sister. All I got is 6 bucks. So I don't care whether you can or not, you will four freaking pieces and you will love it. Now get out of my face." he said and turned his back to me.

"Whatever, I tried to help."

"Yeah, uh huh, of course you did. Don't worry, I know your little tricks. You tried to fool me into payin' more." he said and he looked at me.

"Oh yes Tony, you just discovered my huge plan of stealing 1 dollar and 50 cents from you. Now my dream of being rich has crashed and I failed miserably." I said sarcastically.

"Don't you have to clean your basement?" he said. That was one of his stupid jokes. He meant that since I'm a "nerd", I should live in the basement. It made no sense.

"Don't you have some imaginary girlfriend to call?" I snapped back.

"Okay, you know what, I've had it with you!" he said and he looked like he was about to beat me up or something.

"Okay, fine! I'm going. I guess you won't be needing my six bucks then." I twirled on my heel like I was about to leave the room.

" Okay, okay." he said and he took a deep breath. "Gimmie the money. I'll order the pizza."

"Here." I faced him and handed him my six dollars. "Just get the usual."

"Yeah, I will. Now make yourself disappear." he said and he turned his back to me again. What a kid, really. He kept bragging that he was older than me, but he acted as if he was 12.

While we were waiting for pizza, the doorbell rang. I was upstairs, in my room so there was no way in hell I was going downstairs. Only if it was the delivery man, then of course I would. I got up from the bed and opened the door to my room.

"Tony, get the door!" I yelled. I had to yell because I knew he wouldn't hear me otherwise.

"Don't feel like it, you get it!" he yelled back. Was he serious? The doorbell rang again.

"Come on! Get the door already!"

"Nope, you get it!"

"Are you serious? You are down there! Get the door!" I yelled. I was so annoyed. The doorbell rang again.

"No way."

I got really mad. I slammed the door to my room and ran downstairs. On my way to the front door I stopped in the living room.

"You are the biggest ass in the history… of asses." I told Tony. I know that sounded really immature, but I was extremely annoyed.

"Yeah, cool. Now open the door." he said. He didn't even get his eyes off the TV.

So many inappropriate names came to my mind, but I decided not to call him anything. I just walked up to the door and opened it. It was Chad.

"Hey." he said and smiled. "Is Tony here?"

"Yeah, sure he is. Tony! Someone wants to see you!" I yelled. I just couldn't stop yelling once he got me started.

"Fo' real?" he asked and got up. He walked up to the door and looked at Chad. "Oh, it's you." he said, kind of disappointed.

"Yeah. Who did you expect?" Chad asked. "Megan Fox?" he said sarcastically. I giggled and looked at Tony.

"Nah man, we are just watin' for pizza." he explained.

"Pizza? Can I have some?" Chad smiled.

"I don't know, ask her." Tony said and he pointed at me. "She might sell one piece to you for $1.50." he said. I have him a mad look. Chad just started at us for a second and he shrugged.

"Anyways man, wanna shoot some hoops?" Chad asked Tony.

"Yeah, sure. Lemme just change my shoes." he answered and he ran upstairs. My bother cherished his shoes so much, he kept them upstairs in his room. He thought we will destroy his shoes. What a freak.

"Didn't you just have the practice?" I asked Chad.

"Yeah, we did. I wanna play some more. Plus, I'm bored at home. But what's up with Tony today?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, he just… Never mind, long story." I sighed and he chuckled. "Anyways, wanna come in?"

"Yeah, I guess." he said and came inside. "Hey, I gotta ask you somethin'. Did you do the Math homework yet?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just askin'… Could I maybe copy it?"

"Copy? But it's so easy."

"Yeah, I know. But I really don't feel like doin' it." he said.

I giggled. "But you feel like copying it?"

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't feel like writing it. I meant I just don't feel like thinking." he said and he smiled.

"Sure." I laughed and went up to my backpack. I took my math notebook out and handed it to him. "Here, have fun."

"Thanks, you the best." he said and he looked at the notebook. "I'll give it back in the evening." he looked inside. "Or maybe in the morning." he looked at me.

I laughed. "It's okay, keep it as long as you need. We have no Math tomorrow anyways."

While Tony and Chad were playing basketball, the pizza finally arrived. I took it from the guy and paid him the 12 bucks we fought about earlier today. I put it on the table and I went to the backyard to call Tony. I was starving, but I didn't want to open the box. If Tony saw I even touched it, he'd immediately think that I'm trying to trick him again or something. I went outside and saw them playing basketball. I called Tony inside and Chad went home. We ate the pizza. Of course he opened the box first and took his four pieces and carried them to the living room right away. He turned the TV on because he usually ate in front of the TV when Mom and Dad weren't at home. Shortly after that Mom came home. She finished work at 4:30pm, but it took her a while to get home. She went crazy when she saw us eating pizza. First she started blaming Tony (you know, because he was older than me, meaning he was in charge when everyone older was gone.), but he explained that Destiny left us with nothing to eat. Mom calmed down and she let us finish the pizza. She said that even though it's not healthy for us, we cannot starve. When Dad came home, Mom told him what Destiny did. Dad was really mad. He called her and asked her where she was. He didn't scream at her over the phone. He never screamed over the phone, he just told her to get home. When she finally came home, our parents told me and Tony to go to the kitchen. We sat there finishing the pizza, while they were giving Destiny a lecture.

Tony was sitting near the door and listening to what they were saying. I was sitting at the table and I was finishing the last slice of pizza.

"What are they saying?" I asked him. I was kind of curious what was going on in the living room.

"Somethin' about responsibility…" he said and he put his ear to the door.

"Responsibility? More like _ir_responsibility…" I said and looked at my pizza. I really couldn't eat that slice.

"Guess what? She's crying." Tony said and he chuckled like an idiot. I felt sorry for Des… for the first time in my life. It wasn't her fault and she wanted finally to get a job… It really wasn't her fault.

"Now I can't hear anything." he said and got up from the floor. He sat at the table with me. "You think she got the job?"

"I have no idea."

"I hope she did… If she moves out, I get her room!" he said and looked at me seriously.

"What do you need her room for? You have your own."

"Yeah, but her room's bigger and stuff…"

"You don't need that much space."

"I need it more than you, so that room's mine." he said in a mean tone.

"Okay, okay. Have it, I don't care." I said and looked at the door. Suddenly, Destiny stormed into the kitchen. Her face was wet from tears and she was holding her heels in her hand.

"I hate you two! You ruin everything! Why can't you just take care of yourself and keep your moths shut? And why did you have to order that damn pizza?" she cried. I looked at her scared. I really didn't know what to say. (Un) fortunately, Tony did.

"So…" he turned to her. "Did you get the job?" he asked. He had a serious look on his face, but I knew he was just trying to get her even madder. She gave him a confused look, but the she understood what he was trying to do.

"Ugh! I hate you two!" she said and she ran upstairs. Tony just laughed.

"I guess you're not getting her room." I said.

"Who cares… I know what we can do." he smiled evilly and went up to the fridge and took out the ice cream box. He put in on the table in front of me. "I'll give you 5 bucks if you go up to her room and give it to her." he said and looked at me. He had that crazy/psycho look on his face.

I looked at the box. "Hmmm… How about this? I'll give you my slice of pizza if you walk into her room and literally hand it to her."

He laughed. "You got it." he took a spoon.

"Oh, and don't forget to pat her back and say "there, there" " I said and smiled.

"I'm on it." he laughed and ran upstairs.

I sat in the kitchen for another 2 minutes. Finally, it happened. I heard Destiny scream awful words, something fell and I heard the door slam. Tony came down the stairs into the kitchen. He was holding the ice cream box, which had a huge crack on the side. Good thing it was frozen, it wasn't leaking. He put it back into the freezer.

Tony walked up to the table and he took the slice of pizza.

"It was worth it." he said and bit the slice.

"Totally was." I said and smiled at him.

Taylor M.


	5. Chapter 5

Here is the 5th Chapter! I hope you like it. :P

And I'm sorry that the story is going so slow, I bet all of you want to read a proper "Chaylor moment" already, but not yet guys. It's coming though! :D

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><p>Another two weeks passed. I already forgot about all the stress I had before coming to high school and finally relaxed. I started treating it like my school, meaning the way I treated all the other schools. When I woke up in the morning, I wasn't sick anymore and I didn't worry about the English classes. I just got out of bed, had breakfast and I left the house without any worries. Plus, I had a reason to come to school. I and Gabriella were slowly becoming inseparable. We hung out at school and outside of school, we did homework together and stuff. I really enjoyed her company.<p>

Remember how I told you that Chad would follow me around? That was over. He was hanging out with the guys from the team and older students, my brother and his douche friends. It didn't do much to me, I mean, we weren't friends anyways. I never referred to Chad as my friend; I always called him "the guy who lived on my street". That was all he was to me, really.

I didn't know whether I should write this 'experience' down here, but I think it's crucial for my story. It was the moment when it all started. It was the first period, Thursday I think. I was sitting in the Math class and I was quite bored. We were repeating squares and square roots. The teacher gave us 3 exercises to solve. Since I solved them all, I was just sitting there all quiet, waiting for everybody to finish. In the mean time, the teacher was walking around the class. When she did the whole walking thing, it wasn't like the English teacher. The English teacher was circling around the class like a hungry vulture. The Math teacher however walked around the class to make sure everyone was doing their job and she would help them if they needed it. She walked up to my desk and she looked at my notebook. I found that extremely awkward, because I didn't know how to act. So I just sat there and stared at my notebook. She smiled, patted my back and she continued walking around the class. I watched her walking since there was nothing else to do. She stopped at Chad's desk though. I saw it, because I was in the third row and he was in the first. The teacher put him there because he was talking. She bent over his desk and looked at his paper. She asked him something and he just shook his head. I was looking at them and trying to figure out what they were saying. She told him something again and he nodded his head. She smiled at him and she continued walking around the class. I still couldn't guess what they were talking about. Probably Chad was having problems with the exercises, but why were she smiling and all? I was confused, but I decided to leave it.

The bell finally rang. Everyone got up and so did I. Gaby walked up to me and we were about to leave the classroom, when the teacher stopped us.

"Taylor, can you stay here for a minute?" she asked and she walked up to us. "I need to talk to you." she said and she smiled. I had no idea why, but I was scared. I shortly scanned my brain to check whether I did something that might have upset her.

"Yes, no problem…" I said and looked at Gaby.

"I'll wait outside." Gaby smiled and she left the classroom. Great, she left me all alone with the teacher.

"Um… so…" I stuttered. "What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked and I looked at her.

"Oh, it's nothing big…" she said and looked at me. "Oh my God! I hope I didn't scare you!" she laughed.

"Um… No, of course not." I smiled. I lied, I was a bit scared. I really thought I did something bad.

"Good then!" she smiled. "I wanted to ask you for… a favor. Well, sort of a favor."

"Yes?"

"Well Taylor, I'm sure you are aware of the fact that you are one of the best students in this class. And if you continue doing such a great job, you might be one of the best students in this school." she said and she smiled.

"Um… Thank you very much." I said. I was confused. I really didn't know where she was going with that.

"However, we both know that there are students who are… How can I say this… Who are not as gifted as you are."

"Yes, I know that…"

"My question is… do you think that maybe you could find some time to help some of them after class?"

She did it. She put me on the wall. I had no other choice, I had to say…

"Yes, of course. I'll be happy to help someone." I said and smiled. God, I wanted to jump out of the window when I said that.

"That's marvelous! There is a person that will really need your help." she smiled and she walked up to her desk.

"And who is it?" I asked.

"Chad." she said and she smiled.

Forgot about the window, I wanted to be shot right away. Chad? Was she serious? She wanted me to teach Chad math? I could as well just teach a dolphin how to tap dance.

"Ummm… Chad? Does he really have problems?" I asked. I just pretended I didn't know what a dumbo he was.

"Oh yes, unfortunately he does. He is a really bright boy, all he needs is motivation."

"You think that I will be able to… _motivate_ him?" I asked.

"I think so, yes. You see, I talked to your father earlier today and he told me that you and Chad have been friends since you were little. Is that right?"

"Um.. Yes, I guess."

"Great! That means you two will get along well." she smiled. "Just wait in the library after classes. I'll send him there."

"Sure, I will…" I said and I slowly walked out of the classroom. I still couldn't believe it.

I told Gaby what happened and she laughed at me. She really didn't believe I disliked Chad and she always teased me about him. Not in a mean way, but only to see me freak out whenever she said that we were made for each other. I'd always say that he was too stupid for me and that he didn't deserve my time at all and she'd always laugh at me. You should have seen her face when I told her that I will help Chad with math. She couldn't even catch a breath, she was laughing that hard. If we weren't at school, she'd be rolling on the floor. When she finally got over it, I told her why I didn't want to do it. I just didn't want to waste my time on him, because I knew he was not going to listen to me at all. I really wanted to avoid that awkward 30 minutes with him. But I couldn't. I promised the teacher that I would help him and I had to do it no matter what.

After our last class I was sitting at the table in the cafeteria, all alone, waiting for Gaby and others to finish their experiment at the Chemistry lab. I finished before and the teacher didn't let me stay, because it was "too crowded". So I was just sitting there, reading the biology chapter for the 10th time already.

"What up loner?" someone said. I looked up and I saw Chad. I just gave him an annoyed look and I looked down at the book. He laughed.

"Oh come on! I'm just kiddin'." he said and he put his basketball ball on the table. I ignored him, so he kept talking. "Why are you here all alone anyway?"

"I'm waiting for everyone to finish their experiments." I said. I was still looking at the book.

"Oh yeah. I finished that already."

"That fast?" I asked and looked at him.

"Yeah. We measured the temperature only like 5 times and we made up the rest of the results." he smiled.

"Wow, that's really smart. How will you explain your stupid results at the end?"

"I don't know." he shrugged. "I'll think of something."

"Awesome." I said and I looked back at the book. "Where are the rest of the guys?"

"Down in the corridor. They showin' the new kid around."

"New kid?" I looked up at him.

"Yeah, that Troy dude. I'm waiting for them, we will eat something and then go to the practice. I'd go already, but your bro ain't finished yet so I gotta wait. What about you? You goin' home?

"No."

"Why?"

"I gotta…" I said and I stopped. I had to stay to help him in Math, but he didn't know that. And I wasn't going to tell him, the teacher was. "I gotta stay for that extra Biology class."

"That sucks for you." he said and he spun the ball on his finger.

"Yeah, it does…"

"Oh look, your friend's comin'… With Troy." he said and he looked at me. I lifted my head up and I saw Gabriella coming towards us. She was walking with Troy, the new guy. They were talking about something. Finally, they walked up to our table.

"Sorry you had to wait so long, but the teacher made us clean the whole mess up." she said and she sat next to me. She was smiling a bit and her face was all red.

"No, it's okay. Really." I said. I looked at her and I could see Troy with the corner of my eye. He was just standing there, all awkward.

"Hey Troy." Chad said to him. "That's Taylor, the smartest person you'll ever meet. Taylor, that's Troy the new guy." he said and he smiled. I just rolled my eyes and Troy chuckled.

"Hey." I said and I smiled at him.

"Hi." he responded.

"Oh, there's Tony. Come on Troy, let's go." Chad said and he got up. "See ya girls." he smiled and he started walking towards Tony. Troy looked at us for a moment, smiled and he followed Chad.

"Is he cute or is he cute?" Gaby said and she smiled dreamily.

"Hmmm, let me guess… It's not Chad and most definitely not my brother… Is it only me, or does someone like the new guy?" I asked sarcastically, but not mean. I smiled.

"I think I do…" Gaby smiled. She was still looking at the guys.

"Oh no, why did you admit so easily? I wanted to tease you a bit and you just ruined the whole fun." I said and laughed.

"He's so cool… You know he plays basketball too?" she looked at me. She completely ignored my joke.

"Really? Then probably he's just as dumb as the rest of them…"

"I hope not… He seems different than them." she said and she started playing with her hair. From her face I could tell she was a bit worried.

"Oh don't worry yet. He's a new guy, he has no personality yet. Let him be around those guys a bit and then you'll see if he's like them or not. Maybe he isn't." I said and I smiled. I had to comfort her, even though I didn't believe in what I just said.

"Yeah, I hope so…" she said and she looked at me. The guys left the cafeteria. "Anyways, are you ready for your date with Chad?" she said and she smirked.

"I hoped you forgot… And it's NOT a date." I said and I closed the Biology book. "I'm just helping his ape-like head in Math."

"That's mean." she laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. No one, even an ape, should be compared to Chad." I said. Gaby laughed.

"I just can't win with you, can I?" she said and we got up.

"Nope, no one can." I smiled.

After our extra Biology class I was sitting in library. I was waiting for Chad. I had no idea what I was going to do with him. I had no idea how to teach him Math. I looked at the clock and I figured out that by then he was probably done with the practice. I had my notebook and book opened and I was trying to think of some plan. But I couldn't. I was nervous. And I had no idea why. Was it because I was going to teach someone Math for the first time ever? Was it because I was teaching Chad? I had no idea. My stomach hurt and all I wanted to do was get out of there. I was scared that if he found out that I was his "teacher", he would laugh at me and everything. And then the teacher would be disappointed. I really didn't want that. I had too many thoughts running through my head, I couldn't focus.

Finally the door opened, and Chad came in. I looked up at him and then I looked down. I was hoping he wouldn't notice me. But he did. I was really great at hiding, I sat right in front of the door. He walked up to my table and sat down.

"Hey, what'cha doing here?" he asked.

"Umm, you know… Just sitting."

"Ohhh, so that's what you do in your free time?" he asked and he smiled.

"Shut up." I snapped back and I rolled my eyes. All the stress went away instantly. I completely forgot about it.

"Sorry, I was just joking… I meant that it's not surprising that you're here, I mean you're smart and all…"

He started making no sense, so I interrupted him. "Then why are you here?"

He laughed. "That's a good one. That if this is a place for smart people, I shouldn't be here. Yeah, I get it. I'm here 'cause the Math teacher said that there is someone who can help me in Math. I was supposed to meet them here after my practice, but there's no one here except you."

"Well, it's because everyone else is done with school… And I'm the one who's supposed to help you with Math."

He looked at me fast. He had a surprised look on his face, but he was smiling.

"Wait, you? You, Her Highness Taylor McKessie, teach me, peasant Chad Danforth, Math?" he asked. He thought that I considered myself better than him just because I had better grades. That wasn't true… Well, at least not completely.

"Yup." I answered shortly.

"And you agreed to do this?" he asked. He still couldn't believe it.

"She tricked me." I answered and I looked down.

He was silent for a moment and then he just laughed. "This will be fun." he smiled.

"I highly doubt that." I said and I opened my book. "What do you have a problem with?"

"I don't know…"

"How about the things we are doing now? Do you understand that?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Really? What's the square root of 64?"

"Ummm… five?" he answered, but he wasn't quite sure.

"I hate my life." I said and I put my head on the book. He laughed at me.

"I'm sorry I got you into this. But I had no idea she'll ask you."

I still had my head on the table. At that moment I really hated the Math teacher for doing this to me.

"Hey, I have an idea. Let's have a deal? I think I know how you can get rid of me."

I lifted my head up and I looked at him seriously. "I'm listening."

"Just help me get a good grade on that test we're havin' in a week. She'll see that I improved and she'll let you go." he smiled.

I sat up in my chair and thought about his idea. "That might work. I'm in." I said.

"Awesome." he smiled.

"So I guess we have to start from the very beginning, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. We gotta be done in like 30min though, I got a date." he smiled.

"Really? Already? The school started 5 weeks ago and you already have a girlfriend?"

"Well… Not really. I mean, she's not my girlfriend yet. But I'm working on it. And it will be real easy, I dated her already, so…"he said and he scratched the back of his head.

"Who is it?" I asked. I tried to pretend like I care.

"Paige."

"Paige? I thought you hated her."

"Well, she's annoying." he admitted. "But most of the guys on the team are dating girls, so I can't be a loser with no girl."

"Oh yeah, of course." I said and I looked at my notebook. I decided to drop that awkward subject. That was what I really disliked about him. He really wanted to fit in, and he did right away, but he thought the other guys would make fun of him if he didn't have a girlfriend. Back in middle school he was the first one to actually date someone seriously. Of course I didn't last for long, but once he started, other guys did too and then the other girls. There were some people who never dated, like me and Lisa, my best friend. No one made fun of us though, but now in high school it was a bit weird. I mean, on the breaks I saw all these couples making out and, even though I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, I understood that I probably won't have one any soon. That was quite depressing. I swear, even though I didn't want a boyfriend, I felt that it would be nice to have one.

Taylor M.

* * *

><p>Thanks for your reviews! I really appreciate all your support.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

I've been helping Chad with Math for a few days already. I thought it was going to be terrible, but he actually understood the things that he needed for the test. I didn't tell him that, but I was sort of proud of him. I also knew he was going to get a good grade on the test and I wouldn't have to teach him anymore. Everything was going great.

Gabby was now obsessed with Troy. She's one of these girls that become obsessed with the guys they like. She couldn't stop staring at him, talking about him and trying to convince me that he was smart and all. It was really cute though. Troy turned out to be a nice guy, he even tried to sit with us on lunch. He tried, because every time Chad or any other team member saw him, he had to go and sit at the "cool" table. But deep inside he wasn't like the other guys and it was obvious he was interested in Gabby.

I officially became one of the nerds or geeks or however you want to call it. In high school they call you a geek if you get good grades. You don't even have to like any of the geek stuff like "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" or superheroes. They will just judge you by your grades and then you would have to join that "social group" whether you like it or not. I didn't mind though. Besides Gabriella, there were other nice girls there.

I was doing great at school. My parents were proud, the teachers liked me… and I had no worries at all. Of course, I had to work really hard for all that. Staying up late and studying or writing essays. High school was quite demanding, but I managed to do everything on time. I also did some extra work at school like helping at the library and the office. I liked working at the library because there weren't a lot of people there. My job was to sort the books, meaning going around the shelves and checking if the books were on the right shelves. I liked working there because I got to skip some classes, mainly P.E. and English (I was happy about that because I found them really… not amusing), and I got extra credit for nothing. I had to be there 3 times a week for one period and I'd usually do my homework then. I liked that, because there were no idiots asking stupid questions, no teachers screaming and no Chad whose goal in life was to annoy me. However, that day I felt that trouble was just around the corner.

It was Monday, second period. I was enjoying my 90 minutes of peace and silence, when the door opened and someone walked in. I looked up and I saw Paige Davis and her two friends. I guess now it's a right time to introduce Paige Davis. I met her back in primary school. She was one of these mean, blond girls. She was her own stereotype. Rich, spoiled princess. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate her for no reason. She started it herself. She used to pick on me for no particular reason. Last year she tried to suck up to me for the whole week, and on Friday she asked me if I could write an essay for her. She was furious when I said no. She hated me even more since then. Since the beginning of the school year I avoided her the whole time. But when she walked into that library, I knew something would go down.

I was sitting at the desk when they came in. I looked up, and when I was them, I looked right down at my book. I was hoping she would not see me.

"And then today in the morning he sent me the cutest message ever!" she said to her friends. "He said 'Good morning beautiful.'"

"Awwww" the other two girls sighed. I was wondering what they were talking about. Was it Chad? Would he really do that?

"He really did, look!" she said and she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She showed them something and the girls did the whole "awwww" thing again.

"He's amazing, what can you do." Paige smiled. She clearly enjoyed bragging about her boyfriend. "Let's get those books and let's get out of here. What's it called again?"

"Animal farm." one of the girls said. She was short, had brown hair and she was wearing just usual clothes. She looked nothing like Paige and her other friend. She actually looked nice.

"Alright." Paige said and she turned to the main desk. She rolled her eyes when she saw me. "Oh look, it's the Nerd Queen."

The girls laughed. I looked up at her and asked "May I help you?"

"I need that book… Animal Ranch." she said and she walked up to the desk.

"Animal _Farm._" the short girl corrected her silently.

"That's what I said!" Paige snapped back and she looked back at me. "Go find it."

"I'm pretty sure you can do that yourself." I said and I looked down at my book.

"And how the hell am I supposed to find it?" she asked. She was a bit irritated. Music to my ears.

"Well, I don't know… How about you try searching in the A section?" I asked sarcastically and I looked up at her. I heard the other girls giggle silently.

"Aren't you here to help people? I'm sure you don't want Miss Johnson to find out that instead of helping others, you are just wasting your time. She'll send you back to class."

I looked at her for a moment. She was right. I wasn't sure if she was bluffing or she really was going to tell on me, but I got up and started looking for the book. Paige won this time, but I really had no other choice but give up.

"Here you go." I took the three books off the shelf and I handed them to her. She pulled her hand out to take them from me, but the second I let them go, she took her hand away and the books fell on the ground.

"Ooops." she said with that annoying, "trying-to-be-cute" voice.

I gave her a serious look and said "I'm not picking that up." I went up to the desk and I sat down. She looked quite mad. She looked like she was about to start screaming, but she got cut off by the bell. At that exact moment Gabby walked into the library.

"Hey, are you done? I brought my notebook so you can..." she paused when she saw Paige. Gabby was secretly scared of her, because Paige always had a mad look on her face when she passed by. And also, I told Gabby a lot of stories about her, so she had an overview on what person she was.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Paige was looking from me to Gabby, Gabby was looking from me to Paige, me and the other girls were just waiting for something to happen. Finally, Paige snapped out of it and realized it the break.

"Susan, pick them up!" she ordered. The short girl fell on her knees and she collected the books. I and Gabby exchanged strange looks.

"And you!" she pointed at me and she walked up to the desk. "Stay away from Chad!"

She gave me and Gabby a furious look and she stormed out of the library. Her friends stood there for a second, then they realized what just happened and they rushed out of the library too. I and Gabby were the only ones left there.

"What the-?" Gabby finally asked.

"Don't ask." I said and I got up. I gathered my notebooks and books and put them in my bag.

After classes Chad and I were in the library. It was Friday, the last day I was helping him study for the Math test. I gave him some exercises to solve. He was working on them while I was doing my English homework.

"Ok, done." he said and he handed me the notebook with the exercises.

"Let me see" I took the notebook from him and I checked the solved exercises. "Well done! You got only one mistake though. Here you forgot the minus. That means in the end you'll get another result." I said and I gave him his notebook back.

"Oh yeah, I see it." he crossed out the mistake and he began to solve it again. "Damn Taylor, you actually taught me something. Maybe you should be my tutor for every subject." he smiled. I laughed.

"You wish. Look, all that tutoring can give me extra credit at the end of high school, but I'm not crazy. Enough is enough." I said and I looked up at him. He laughed.

"Too bad. Studying with you wasn't that bad. My mom said that if I continue getting crappy grades, she'll get me a tutor. And I bet she'll choose like the most boring ass person in the world just to torture me." He crossed his arms on the table and he rested his head on them.

"Well, since it is all extra credit, I wouldn't mind either. But I think your girlfriend would mind…"

"Huh?" he looked up at me.

"Umm… Well you know, today she came here and… She told me to stay away from you." I said and I looked down at my notebook. He sighed.

"Just ignore her. She's jealous just because she thinks I will dump her for anyone. All she wants is to be popular… She's so annoying." he lifted his head up and he hid his face in his hands.

"Ok, I understand that. But why would she think I could steal…. you?" I asked.

"I don't know…" he looked at me. "Though you gotta admit that if you had such a sexy boyfriend like me, you'd be worried too." he smirked. I laughed.

"Yeah.. NO." I closed my notebook. "You done?"

"Yeah, I know everything for the test. I'll practice on Sunday or something…" he threw his notebook into his bag. I gave him a "yeah right" look. "OK, maybe not…" he chuckled.

"Whatever. If you fail, don't blame it on me." I packed my bag and we left the library.

We were walking down the empty corridor. It was around 3pm and everyone left school at least half an hour before us. The school seemed so quiet and calm, not to mention huge. I swear the corridor seemed to be at least 2 times wider than usual.  
>It was a bit awkward to be walking just with Chad. I mean, we barely had anything to talk about.<p>

"You going home now, right?" he finally asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Me too. Hey, let's go together?"

"Sure." I said and I looked down at my feet. Great, now I had to go home with him. Another 20 minutes of awkward silence.

"Cool." he smiled. At least one of us was somewhat happy about it.

We stopped at my locker. I left the notebooks and books I wouldn't need for the next week. We continued walking down the corridor in silence. Chad stopped at his locker to get his basketball. When we were finally out of the school, he spoke.

"Wait, so Paige was telling you to stay away from me?"

"Yes, she did…"

"She's so weird. Everyone knows that we dated before and I dumped her and she's trying so hard to make everyone believe that we are that perfect couple. It's so pathetic. You know what she did today? She stole my phone and she wrote a some cute text to herself."

"Something like 'Good morning beautiful'?" I asked.

"Yeah… How'd you know?" he asked. He was a bit confused. I laughed.

"I heard her bragging about it to her friends today in the library. I knew you wouldn't write that though."

"Exactly! I'm not into all that cute crap. I mean, who is she trying to fool? No one's believing you princess!"

He kept complaining about her on the whole way home and I was just laughing. He really didn't like her, yet he didn't say why he asked her out in the first place. That stayed a mystery for me for the whole school year.

Taylor M.


	7. Chapter 7

At the end of my freshman year I realized that I was overreacting the whole time. High school wasn't that bad when you had real friends and hung out with the right people. I was lucky enough to meet Gabby and a group of other people with whom I shared a lot of interests. My predictions were wrong; I did not end up all by myself.

In high school my approach to education changed a little. Knowledge always was and always will be one of my top priorities, however in high school I rarely had time for myself. By that I mean that I loved staying in and reading a book or watching some sitcoms on television when no one was at home. Don't get me wrong, I loved spending time with my friends and going out with them, however not a while before I met them, I was rather socially awkward. Even though I finally had a group of friends, I still enjoyed only my own company sometimes. When I went to high school, my alone time and time spent with other people was at 1:7 ratio. My friends usually forced me to get out of the house on the weekends and in the end I never regretted it. There were also weekends when we had loads of work to do and none of us had time for nonsense such as going to the movies. Finally, there were the weekends when the weather was terrible and there was nothing to do for school for the next week, but whenever I picked up a book or even reached for it, something or someone interrupted me. It was either my mother asking what I wanted for dinner, my father asking if I have seen the TV remote, my brother asking if I had seen my sister or my grandma calling and talking to me for half an hour on the phone. My house was a true mess when everyone was home, so I usually put on my rain coat and migrated to Gabby's house, just to simply hang out. I'd spend a few hours there and we'd talk about everything and nothing just to stay entertained. We both loved school, but we could not wait for the school year to finally be over.

The day finally came. The last day of school. The official first day of summer and freedom. Everyone understood 'freedom' in their own, personal way, but we all agreed that the last day was special to everyone equally. To me the last day of school meant that I would have more time for myself, but also spend it with my friends. I couldn't complain, I had a lot of time to relax.

By the end of the year something started to develop between Gabby and Troy. In 5 weeks time they went out a few times, 6 at least. Only as friends though, he said, not as a couple. Both, him and Gabby knew that wasn't true. They really liked each other and everyone, including them, knew that. Troy was a shy person, and even though all the girls at school… or at least most of them had a crush on him, he was really down to Earth. I'd often talk to him on the breaks, but he'd never look into my eyes, always at the floor. Same thing happened when there was more than 1 person talking to him. Only when Gabby showed up, his face would light up and he was acting more confident then. Chad told him many times to never let that girl (Gabby) go, but he'd just blush.

At the end of The Last Day I was at my locker picking up the rest of my things when Gabby ran up to me. She was really excited.

'Oh my God, guess what!' she squealed.

'Ummm… Any hints?' I asked. I really had no idea what caused her to act like that.

'It involves me, Troy and movies after his training!'

'Wow, another date, huh?' I smiled while I was trying to find some space for my Biology book in my backpack.

'Yeah. I'm so excited. I hope he's going to ask me _the_ question.' she smiled dreamily. I gave her a confused slash terrified look.

'Oh come on, I don't want him to propose to me. I meant that I hope he finally asks me to be his girlfriend.'

'Oh.' I relaxed. 'Well, you two are basically a couple. You spend a lot of time together, go to the movies… Him asking you to officially be his girlfriend is just a formality.'

'I know… But it would mean so much!' she smiled while staring dreamily somewhere behind me.

'I bet it would.' I said and I realized she was in her "happy" place. I waved my hand in front of her face. 'Hello, are you still here?'

She snapped out of it and laughed. I finished emptying my locker and we slowly walked towards the exit. We remembered our first day and all the awkwardness that came with it. We laughed at how stressed we both were at the beginning and how we thought we were not going to survive a week in that building. While we were passing by the girls' bathroom, Gabby remembered how she was hiding there and waiting for Troy to pass by so she could sneak up behind him and see where his locker was. I wasn't there then, but I burst out laughing just at the thought of it.

The classes had just ended, the school was practically empty and the school yard was full. Everyone was sitting outside talking, playing some sports or simply they were there because there didn't want to leave school for 2 months… yet. We were on our way to the parking lot, because I had to leave my heavy schoolbag in my father's car. However, we were stopped by Chad and Troy who were sitting at one of the tables with the rest of the team.

'Hey, girls! Wait!' Troy called us from the crowd. We both instantly turned around, knowing someone was calling us, not anyone else. When Gabby realized it was Troy, she smiled so big that looking at her pearl white teeth made my eyes hurt, especially when it was really sunny outside. He walked up to us, followed by Chad.

'Hey, what's up?' I asked him, because Gabby was too busy hyperventilating. Troy looked at her a bit scared, but he smiled and blushed when he realized he was the cause for that.

'Are you guys staying for the practice?' Chad asked. He looked over at the love couple in some sort of disgust. Then he looked at me. It was clear that out of four of us, only me and Chad were engaged in this conversation.

'I have to stay, because my father said he'd drive me home. I don't know about Gabby though.' I answered and looked at Gabby. If she could only hear me…

'Hey dude!' Chad cleared his throat and nudged Troy. He snapped out of it.

'Are you guys staying for the practice?' he asked while looking at the ground. Chad rolled his eyes.

'Sure, I am. What about you Tay?' Gabby asked. Chad rolled his eyes again. I giggled.

'Yes, I'm staying. You know, because of my dad.' I answered calmly. Those two seemed not to notice the world around them.

'Let's go then, shall we?' Troy smiled and he and Gabby started walking towards the entrance. Chad looked at me.

'You comin'? he asked.

'Yeah, I just need to carry my bag to my dad's car and I'll be there as soon as I'm done.'

'I'll come with you. I really don't wanna be alone with those fools right now.' he said and we started walking towards the parking lot. I laughed at what he said.

'Fools? They are cute…' I said and looked at him. He had a confused look on his face.

'Cute? You okay?' he asked as he put his hand to my forehead. 'Did you, Taylor McKessie, just call a couple "cute"?'

I laughed again. 'You're right' I admitted. 'Who am I kidding, they are really annoying.'

He smiled and he took his hand away. 'See, now you are acting like yourself. For a second I thought you were abducted by aliens or somethin'.'

'Shut up.' I smiled. 'However, they are our friends and they are happy together. We need to support them no matter how irritating they are to us.'

'Yeah, okay, they're our friends. But what the hell, how long will they be acting so… weird? They be starin' at each other and stuff all day. Can't they just knock it off already? You don't see me and Maya doing all that cute-stuff-bullcrap.'

Okay, so last time I wrote about Paige, she was Chad's girlfriend. Well she was his girlfriend for so long, until he actually got so sick of her and broke up with her. Of course she went around the school acting like she was the victim, but it wasn't true. At least the people who really knew her, were on Chad's side. The whole school was gossiping about the causes for their breakup, but Chad couldn't care less. Since he didn't like Paige anyway, he didn't have any problems finding another girlfriend quite fast. That wasn't Maya though, not yet. For some time he was going out with one of the head cheerleaders, Megan. It was widely known that she had her eye on him and she wasn't hiding it. They got together over night it seemed. One day they would be indifferently passing each other in the hallway and the next day you'd see them making out by her locker every single break. It was quite a puzzle for those who wasted their time to actually figure out how that happened. Their relationship lasted for a month or so and ended as suddenly as it started. The lovely couple would be constantly avoiding each other unless it was necessary for them to be in the same room. Chad seemed a bit down about it, but he got over it the very next week. He got engaged in another relationship, this time it was with Allison, Megan's best friend. They got together over the weekend, so they had some time for each other until the drama started. The whole school was shocked to see Chad and Allison walking into the school on Monday morning, holding hands. I don't know if there is a word to describe Megan's facial expression when she saw them. She was mad and devastated and happy (because she didn't have to stand Chad anymore) and depressed all at the same time. Again, Megan acted as is she never knew Allison and Chad before, but she lost it three days later. There was a major cheerleader's rehearsal before the game. I think Allison stepped on Megan's toe and that's how it started. They started off with good old name calling, later some nudging and pushing and finally fisticuffs. The older guys from the team ended up pulling them away from each other just to cut if off. I was there and I cannot say I didn't enjoy it. The whole team had a good laugh, except for Chad who was really embarrassed. He broke up with Allison shortly after that. Maya came along three weeks before the end of the school year. What made her really special was that… she was a nice girl. She wasn't quite popular in the school, even though she was a member of the drama group. She was a really good person; I got to know her when we worked at the library together a few times. I had no idea why a girl like her would ever look at Chad, but that remained an unsolved mystery. All I know is that they had some mutual friends and that's how they officially met. She revealed that she usually didn't fall for guys like Chad, but he was really charming and she agreed to go out with him. Chad charming? I needed a moment to process that.

'Well, I guess you and Maya just aren't that type of couple.' I answered. I really didn't know what to tell him and I didn't want to discuss relationships with him. In that field he had way more experience than I did and that usually made me feel unsafe.

'Yeah, probably… Hey, why don't you just go home instead of waiting for your dad?' he asked when we stopped at my father's car.

'Oh, if I could do that I would have gone home long time ago.' I said and I put my bag on the ground. 'However, this thing is too heavy and I really don't feel like carrying it all the way home.' I found the car keys in my pocket and I unlocked the car.

'You should get your brother to carry your stuff.' he suggested. I opened the trunk.

'Tony? If I asked him for help, we would get into that stupid, pointless and confusing conversation and I would end up carrying my stuff AND his stuff also.'

'Then get a boyfriend. I carry my girlfriend's stuff… Wait, let it go. I'll help you.' he offered when he saw me struggling with that crazy schoolbag. He picked it up and he put it in the trunk.

'What are you, some kind of gentleman now?' I asked jokingly and closed the trunk.

'Nah, I'm just being my usual self. You know, the helpful, handsome, funny Chad?' he smiled.

'Chad who? Not Danforth, that's for sure.' I smiled back. I locked the car and we started walking towards the school.

'Oh come on, you know I'm joking.' he chuckled. 'Anyways, as I was saying: Get a boyfriend.'

'As I was going to say: get real.'

'Why?' he asked. 'It can't be hard for you.'

'Okay, I know you like joking, but this is getting really mean.' I snapped at him.

'Joking? I'm serious. Think about it. Your brother is the most popular guy at school right now and all the girls are in love with him. Your sister was the biggest legend ever; people still talk about her pranks and stuff. And she was and still is hot.'

'What's your point?' I asked him when we stopped in front of the entrance.

'Don't you get it? Everyone knows that you come from the awesome McKessie family. And since you are all related, you're also…'

'What, Chad? What are you talking about?' I asked. He was slowly getting me annoyed.

'Ohhh come on! Don't make this harder than it already is!' he begged me. 'I just know a guy that is… interested in you.'

'Interested in ME?' I asked. I was both mad and happy at once. 'Who is it?'

'Well, it's actually a few guys…' he looked down.

'WHAT? Who?' I was shocked to hear all that. I couldn't believe it.

'Look, I can't tell. I already said too much…' he looked at me.

'Oh, you're gonna tell me. You're gonna tell me RIGHT NOW. Who?' I demanded to know. Chad seemed a bit scared.

'Look, I really can't tell… Just one thing. Be a bit more open to people next year and you'll see…' he smiled.

'W-w-what?' I still couldn't understand what he was talking about.

'You'll see.' he chuckled. 'I gotta a practice to be on, see ya!' he winked at me, he ran into the building and he continued running down the corridor. I stood in front of the entrance for a moment before I realized what just happened. I still needed to know who he was talking about.

'Chad Bryan Danforth, come back and answer my question!' I yelled, but he already ran into the gym. I was standing there in front of the entrance and realized everyone was looking at me, because I yelled Chad's full name like a crazy person. I took a deep breath and went inside the building. Great, now that one probable guy that possibly liked me most likely thought I was a complete dork.

Taylor M.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for making you guys wait so long! I just finished my school year and I finally got to finish this chapter. The last two weeks were crazy for me, we had all final tests and projects due then so I had no time for writing. But now I have 2 months and I will update regularly! Sorry again. :)

~TheCreativePenguinLover

* * *

><p>Summer started quite good. I didn't feel the spirit of freedom on the first day though. The first day was just calm. I woke up at 9am and realized that my sister and my brother were still sleeping. My mom left for work at 7am as usual. My father, Tony and I had vacation, but she had to work for another 2 weeks. We were all glad to finally get some sleep, except for Destiny who was on eternal vacation. She always slept until noon.<p>

I put on my bathrobe and I went down stairs. In the living room I saw my dad. He was sitting on the armchair and reading a newspaper.

'Hey.' I said and I walked up to him. I sat on the couch and pulled my legs up.

'Hey baby. How did you sleep?' he asked and he put the newspaper away.

'Oh you know… Fine. I'm still a bit…' I said and I got cut off by someone, who was running down the stairs. My dad and I looked in the direction where the sound was coming from.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!' we heard Destiny say as she ran down the stairs like crazy. She ran into the living room and looked at us. She was half dressed, meaning she was wearing a skirt and a shirt (which was poorly buttoned), but no shoes… She was a mess in general. Her hair was messy, she had no makeup on. She looked like she just woke up.

'Why didn't you wake me up?' she yelled at Dad.

'Wake you up? Was I even supposed to wake you up?' he asked. Both of us were equally confused.

'YES! I have a job interview today at 10! And now it's like 9:15! I will be late!'

'Job interview?' my dad asked again. 'I don't remember you saying anything about a job interview.' he said and looked at her seriously. Her facial expression changed from mad to… not mad anymore.

'Oh yeah… It was supposed to be a surprise. Well anyways, I'm late you guys!' she said and she started running around the whole house, getting dressed and putting make up on all at once. My father shook his head and looked at me.

'You hungry? Your mother left some pancakes in the fridge, you can put them in the microwave. They will be even better than fresh. Oh, and make sure you and your brother have some plans for today. I want to have some time for myself.' he smiled. I understood what he meant by that and smiled back.

'Yes sir.' I said and I made my way to the kitchen. While I was eating my pancakes, I heard my father snoring in the living room.

Destiny stormed into the kitchen. She looked amazing now. She was fully dressed, her hair was flawless. Only her makeup needed some more work. She stopped at the table and looked at me.

'Do I look like a psychologist to you?' she asked. I looked up at her while chewing on my pancake.

'I don't know, what are psychologists supposed to look like?'

'Well, I tried my best to go for smart and classy instead of slutty. Which one do I look like?'

I looked at her carefully. Her skirt reached her knees, she was wearing a white shirt, wasn't showing too much cleavage and she had a jacket which matched her skirt on the top. She looked really classy and serious.

'You look intelligent.' I admitted.

'Perfect. Now not only my college papers prove it, but also my looks. I had to make sure in case the person that interviewed me was a man.'

'How did you manage to get dressed that fast?'

'It's a matter of practice. Soon you'll need to know that, so I'll teach you, don't worry.' she said and she looked at my plate. 'What'cha eating?' She didn't wait for me to answer, she just snatched the last pancake off my plate.

'Hey! I was going to eat that!'

'Come on, you live in this house long enough to know that if you want to eat your food, you have to eat it fast.' she smiled, she picked up her folder from the counter, put it under her arm and put mascara in her pocket. 'Wish me luck!' she said and she left.

I realized I never told you that my sister was a psychologist. She only had an undergraduate degree; she still needed to get her doctorate degree, however she was able to get a fair job only with her undergraduate degree. I already told you that she did terrible at school, but it wasn't about her grades, it was her behavior. She had all As and Bs, but she couldn't stand sitting at school and doing what teachers told her to do. It was funny in a way. She wasn't stupid, she was rebellious. In our family I was the smart one, Tony was the trouble maker and Destiny was both.

Around noon I was in my room reading a book. I was still too lazy to get out of the house and enjoy the warm weather. I had nothing better to do, so I decided to stay at home and enjoy my own company. My brother was out with Chad, playing basketball in Chad's yard, my sister was still out and my father was watching television in the living room.

Suddenly my cell phone rang. I reached for it and saw it was Gaby.

'Hello?' I answered.

'Hey Tay! Guess what happened!' Gaby sounded really excited.

'Hmmm… You discovered a cure for cancer?' I asked sarcastically.

'No! Better! Troy finally asked me to be his girlfriend!' she squealed.

'Oh Gabs, that's awesome! How did he do it?'

'Oh, nothing special. We went to the movies and when he was walking me home, he said that we've been on so many dates that it was about time to make it official. And then he kissed me.'

'Awww, that's so cute! It really was about time you two got together. It was driving everyone crazy.' I said as I put my book away and got up from the bed. Gaby laughed.

'Yeah, I know. It was starting to annoy me… But hey, I wasn't going to ask him first. That's weird.' she said. I laughed.

'I know it is.' I walked up to the window and looked outside. Tony and Chad were still playing basketball, even though the sun was burning their skins. 'Are you guys going out today?'

'No, Troy had to go somewhere with his parents. Visit his grandma or something.'

'Cool, then come here. I'm bored and I can't spend the whole day reading that book.'

'Sure, I'll be at your place in 15 minutes. See ya!' she hung up.

I put the phone down and I continued looking out of the window. From my room I could clearly see the Danforth yard, my balcony was directed right at the balcony in Chad's bedroom. From the windows in my room I could either see the street or the Danforths' house. Not quite the perfect views, especially because there was never anything happening on the street and you would never catch me staring at the Danforth yard. But that day was different.

I was bored out of my mind so I decided to go downstairs and wait for Gaby in the front yard. When I walked outside, the sun was shining so bright that I went blind for few seconds. I wiped my eyes and made my way to the fence. Before I got to the fence, I could hear Chad and Tony laughing and the ball bouncing off the ground. I walked up to the fence and looked at them. Tony realized I was there and he got serious.

'What do you want Taylor?' he asked. He seemed annoyed and that's how he usually acted when I showed up while his friends were around.

'Nothing, I just wanted to see what you guys are doing.' I replied. Chad looked over at me.

'Okay, you saw us. Now shoo!' Tony turned his back at me and continued dribbling.

'Sorry, princess. You don't have to be so mean about it, you know.' I said and I went back to the front door. I sat at the doorstep and stared at the street. There was no sign of Gaby yet. The street was basically empty. Most of our neighbors left for vacation. I saw Mrs. Brown, who lived next door, getting out of the car. She smiled when she saw me and asked why I was at home instead of out with friends. I told her that I was going out later, even though I wasn't. She smiled, said goodbye and went into her house. Great, even an elderly woman knew that my social life sucked.

While I was sitting there and thinking about the meaning of life, Tony jumped over the fence and he ran towards our house. He stopped in front of the doorstep to give me a weird look, then he shook his head and ran inside. A second later Chad jumped over the fence and walked up to me.

'Where was he running?' I asked Chad. I was still staring at the street.

'He went to get us something to drink… I think.' he replied.

'Oh, okay.'

'Why you sittin' here all alone?' he asked after a short moment of awkward silence.

'I'm waiting for Gaby, she's coming over.'

'Right… Hey, did you hear the big news?'

'Chad.' I said. 'Gaby and I are girls. Don't you think I knew before you did?' I asked and looked at him. He laughed.

'You're right. Girls really do have that fast-news-spreading thing.'

'Hey, how come you're still here? Weren't you going to New York to see your dad or something?'

'Yeah' he replied. 'But that's next week. I'm stuck here 'till Tuesday.'

'Stuck here? It can't be that bad… You hang out with Troy and Tony."

'Yeah…' he said and he sounded sort of disappointed. 'Maya left already. She went to visit her family and she's not comin' back 'till the end of August… But that's cool, I'll have time to hang out with my boys and stuff. You know, like men do.'

I gave him a funny look. 'You miss her, don't you?'

'Yeah, I do… Man, I never thought a girl would make me feel like that… You know, like a sad puppy whose owners left him for some time…' he said and he looked down. I giggled.

'That's cute… And sort of weird coming from you.'

'Yeah I know… But she's… awesome. I like spending time with her and stuff… And she's not boring like the rest.'

I opened my mouth to cheer him up a bit, but Gaby came through the wicket. We both looked up at her and she smiled.

'Hey guys!' she walked up to us.

'Hey Gaby, how you doin'?' Chad asked.

'I'm doing great, thank you.' she smiled and looked at me.

'Yeah, I'm gonna go back… To, you know, my yard… Tell Tony I'm there, waiting for him.' Chad said while he scratched the back of his head.

'Yeah, sure. I will.' I said.

'Thanks. Nice talking to you Taylor.' he smiled, walked up to the fence and jumped over it. Gaby was still smiling.

'What?' I asked.

'Wanna give me an update? What did I interrupt?' she asked while she smirked. I rolled my eyes.

'Nothing! You interrupted nothing!' I replied and I got up. We walked into the house.

'What were you guys talking about?'

'Nothing, really.' I answered and we started walking up the stairs.

'Nothing, huh? So why was Chad acting so weird?' she asked.

'I don't know! It's Chad, he's weird.'

'Yeah, right. And really?'

'What do you mean?' I turned to her. We were standing in front of my room.

'I thought you guys were having some… intimate conversation and I interrupted you.'

'No, we weren't.' I said. I opened the door to my room and we came inside. I sat on my bed.

'What were you guys talking about then?' she asked.

'Nothing, he said that he's leaving to New York next week… and that he misses Maya. That's it.'

'That sucks… well why was he talking to you about that if he likes you?'

'What? We talked about this so many times, he does NOT like me. End of story' I said and I looked down. 'Plus he has a girlfriend, so that's theoretically impossible…'

'Wait, does that mean you also think he likes you..'

'No. It's just that… Okay, look. Chad told me this, but you cannot tell anyone' I looked at her seriously.

'I promise.'

'Okay… I don't know why, but yesterday Chad and I had a conversation about dating… I have no idea how we got on that topic, but he just asked why I didn't have a boyfriend. I told him to get real, but he was serious. He said that since my brother and sister are… "hot" according to everyone else, I am too…' I looked down again. Gaby gave me a strange look.

'Wait, he told you you were hot?' she asked.

'No, not directly… But he was getting there. That's not the point though. He said that he knows a guy or plenty of guys who… well are interested in me.'

'Seriously? That's great!' she squealed.

'How is that great? I mean, he didn't even want to tell me who it was. He just ran away. I'm so creeped out. Apparently there is a group of guys in the school who are crushing on me and I don't even know who they are!'

Gaby laughed. 'Oh, Taylor will be breaking hearts next year, huh?'

'I'm serious Gaby.' I looked at her. She cleared her throat and sat up. She smiled at me and took my hand.

'Don't worry about it, it's not a big deal. Who cares about those guys? If you like someone, you go out with them, even if the whole school is dying to date you.'

'Easy for you to say. You are dating Troy Bolton, you are used to that.'

'Oh yeah? It's sort of hard for me, especially when all those girls are drooling all over him. But I don't think I feel the way he feels. It's even harder for him, having the whole school chasing after him…'

'Yeah, you're right' I said and I lied back. 'It's a whole different perspective.'

'Unless…'

'Unless what?'

'Unless Mr. Danforth is one of them…'

'Oh please, I thought we cleared that up. He has a girlfriend, so he's off the list of suspects.'

'Just 'cause he has a girlfriend doesn't mean he is not looking around.' she said. I looked at her confused. 'I'm just saying. I'm not sure.'

'Well, I hope you're wrong.' I said and I looked at the ceiling.

'What if it's him though?'

'I think if he liked me, he would ask me out already.'

'What if he is scared that you will turn him down… Yeah, what if he is just scared of rejection?' she asked. I lifted my head up and looked at her seriously.

'You are NOT helping.' I said and I rested my head on the pillow. 'Can we just change the topic? Tell me about that date you guys had yesterday.'

I spent the rest of the day talking to Gaby. We talked about everything, except that awkward Chad situation. I really didn't want to think about it. The idea about one person liking me freaked me out, not even mentioning the whole group of people. I wasn't sure why though. I mean, I was really shy back then, even though my true character started developing, but I really didn't know how to talk to guys who weren't only my friends. Also, I thought that it was a big responsibility to be someone's crush. Before I was just sitting on the side, quietly, minding my own business and I knew no one paid any attention to me so I felt free. However, after Chad told me all that I started to worry that whenever I did something embarrassing, they would see it and maybe laugh at me or not like me anymore. It was a really weird feeling. On one hand I didn't care about "those people", but on the other I didn't want to lose their… affection.

In the evening I was in my room when Tony knocked on my door. He told me to get downstairs because dad called a family meeting. At 9pm. I had no other choice, but to get downstairs and participate. My father called those "family meetings" when one of the members of the family had something to share or discuss with the rest. That was the official reason for them, but my father called those when he had no idea what to do about something Tony or Destiny did wrong. He asked us for suggestions, but he still solved all the problems himself.

I walked into the living room and I saw Destiny sitting on the chair where usually the "defendant" sat. She looked really annoyed and sad. My mom was sitting on the couch with Tony, mom was saying something to Destiny and Tony was watching TV. I sat next to them, leaving the armchair empty for my father. I wondered what happened to Destiny and soon I was going to find out.

My dad came into the room, took the remote out of Tony's hand and turned the TV off.

'Hey, I was watching…'

'Don't mess with me right now' dad replied and he sat on the armchair. He looked at us for a second and started his speech. 'As you all know, we met here at this late hour to discuss our problems as usual. Today we will discuss Destiny's little idea. Anthony, Taylor, I called you here because I think you should hear this and learn from your sister's mistakes. Now, Destiny, would you please share your story with us?'

Destiny sighed. 'You are making a big deal out of this for no reason.'

'Just start talking.'

'Okay, okay. So I went to 3 job interviews today. I bet you guys don't know how hard it is to find a job these days, especially here. The two interviews I had in the morning went terrible. They were looking for people with a doctorate only so I had no chance. I didn't feel like going to the third interview, but I was in the area so I decided to go. And they had no problem with my undergraduate degree and I could easily work there. They offered me a job.'

'So what's the problem?' Tony asked. I was surprised he was even listening.

'Come on Des,' said dad. 'Tell them what you would be doing.'

'Well… I would work as a psychologist…'

'Go on.'

'… for ex convicts.' she said and she looked down. The last word echoed in my head.

'Really? Like murderers and stuff?' Tony asked and he laughed.

'Cut it off.' dad said and looked at him seriously. He got up from the armchair. 'What do you all think about it? Except you son, you just listen.'

'James,' my mom started. 'I think you are overreacting.'

'Am I really?'

'Yes you are!' Destiny cried. 'They are not serial killers or murderers or whatever! They want me to have a group therapy with them twice a week. Those guys are just small gang members or they were convicted for small crimes. I wouldn't go work with psychos.'

'I still think it's not safe. What do you think Taylor?' dad asked.

He stood right in front of me. The eyes of the whole family were on me. I knew that whatever I would say, it could change the whole situation. I understood my dad's concern, but he really was overreacting. I just had to find a way to prove that I was on no one's side. I cleared my throat.

'Um… Well dad, I think that you have a right to worry… However, Destiny really wants to get a job in general and this is a really good opportunity for her to finally start her career as a psychologist. I think that you should… Um, you don't have to but maybe you could consider this. Maybe that's not a bad job… If it's bad, she can always quit it.'

My dad looked at me for a moment. He looked like he was thinking. I looked down at the carpet. Whatever happened now was up to my dad, though I would be responsible for it. If he said no, Destiny would be mad at me. And if he said yes and then something happened to Des, my dad would be mad at me. It was too late to say anything else, so I just chose to stare at the carpet. My dad finally spoke.

'Okay.'

'Okay what?' Destiny asked.

'You can go work there if you want to.'

'Oh daddy!' she got up and hugged him. 'Thank you so much!'

'We still need to set some conditions though' he said and he sort of hugged her back. 'Meeting dismissed. Go to sleep.'

I felt really good about myself. Destiny finally found the job and what I said made dad change his mind.  
>I was in bed reading a book when the door to my room opened. Destiny peeked in.<p>

'You sleeping?' she asked.

'No, not yet. What's up?'

'I just wanted to… thank you I guess. You made dad change his mind.' She came into the room and sat on my bed.

'I just said what I think…'

'That's good. You're his princess and he will always consult you before even talking to me or Tony. Thanks for saving my ass.'

'Hey, we're sisters. That's what sisters do… right?' I asked. Des laughed.

'Yeah, I guess. Thanks again. Now go to sleep you nerd.' she took my book away, messed up my hair, got up from the bed and left the book on the desk. 'See ya.' she smiled and she left.

It was official. The great war between Destiny and I was over… or at least it was coming to an end. Usually we fought at least once a day, if we spoke to each other of course. But that day was different, that day was special.

Taylor M.


	9. Chapter 9

Two months seems like an awfully long period of time, but not when you are free to do anything you feel like doing. When there was no school, no homework, no assignments, the time seemed to pass faster. I wasn't particularly disappointed by that, mainly because I spent my summer doing things I usually do during the school year, in my free time of course. I went to the movies with my friends, I read books, I watched TV, I hung out with Gaby… Nothing unusual. I also spent a lot of time with my family, because summer meant annual family reunions. We went to my grandparents' house and stayed there for 4 days. We also got a visit from my mom's sister and her family, who lived in New York. Tony was supposed to move to New York next year, if he decided to go to college there, so they came to see us mainly to discuss that. My parents wanted my aunt to keep an eye on him.

Since Chad went to New York to visit his dad, Tony spent most of his free time annoying me. He was complaining how we never got to go anywhere for vacation, we could only stay at home. I kind of agreed with him; however we lived only 15 minutes away from a beach so we couldn't complain about that. On the other hand, Tony went to the beach almost every second night with his girlfriend or his friends, so I didn't understand why he complained so much.

Destiny was still working. She had her job for almost two months now which was her personal record. She did quite good, we was rarely late and she was really into being a psychologist. She finally got to do something she liked. The only problem was that she eventually started dating one of her "patients". My father was furious when he found out, however she managed to persuade him that Jerome was a nice and good guy. To be honest I had no opinion about her boyfriend. He came over once for diner and he seemed to have no personality at all. I didn't like him, but I didn't dislike him either. I don't think any of the family members liked him, but as long as Destiny was happy, we stayed quiet.

The first day of my sophomore year wasn't as stressful as the first day of high school. I woke up on time, gut dressed and ate breakfast. No headache, no stomachache… it felt like another day. I was only a little nervous but I didn't know why. I was afraid that soon I would have to face "that person" who apparently liked me.

When I was done with breakfast, I was waiting in the hall for Tony. My father forced us to walk to school together. Dad would usually drop me off, but that day he had to take care of something on his way and I would be late if I went with him.

'Tony hurry up! We'll be late!' I called.

'I'm comin', I'm comin'!' he said while running down the stairs. 'Is Chad here?'

'No, why?'

'He's goin' with us. I'll go get him' he said and he ran out of the house. I rolled my eyes.

'We're going to school now, bye!' I yelled and I followed him outside. 'Tony, I don't wanna be late because of Chad.'

Before I knew it, the guys were walking towards me. The first thing I realized was that Chad looked different. He was taller than he was two months ago, he seemed thinner, however his shoulders were wider. He was wearing a white tank top underneath a short sleeved, red/black lumberjack shirt and sort of skinny jeans. He let them hang a little. Also, his hair was a bit shorter. He had his basketball with him.

Chad smiled.

'Late because of me, huh?' he asked jokingly.

'Sorry, I just thought you'd be late as usual' I said and we started walking to school.

'Nah, it's fine. Even I thought I'd be late. My mother kicked me out of the house on time. I was in front of your house waiting for you guys.'

'Thank God. If I was late today, they would put me in detention and I don't that on the first day.' Tony said. 'Anyways, nice shirt pretty boy. Did your mom dress you up?'

I giggled and Chad just smiled.

'Nice one bro, but I'll have you know that that's how guys dress now. You know, when you want girls to be interested in you.' he replied.

'Oh yeah? Well my girlfriend has no problem with the way I dress.'

'That's what she tells you.' Chad smiled and he patted Tony on the back.

'Shut up.' Tony replied and he pushed Chad. Chad laughed.

The whole way we talked about what we did during the summer. Chad was in New York most of the time. He went to New York every summer to visit his dad who lived and worked there. He went out with his cousin and his friends. They played basketball, went to the beach and parties. All that was really amusing to Tony, who believed parties, anywhere out of our town, were amazing. I just walked with them and listened to them talk. I didn't really have anything to say.

When we finally arrived at the school, Tony left us to hang out with his "cool" senior friends. Chad and I were approached by Troy and Gaby who were at school at least 15 minutes before us just to spend some more time together. We still had some time left until the first period started, so the guys went to shoot some hoops and talk to the other guys from the team. Gaby and I sat on the bench.

'You excited?' she asked.

'Why?'

'Well, because that mysterious guy might reveal himself.'

'Oh please, are you still on that? I was slowly forgetting…'

'Ok, then let's change the topic to "oh my God, is Chad hot or what?"' she said and she smiled. I gave her an annoyed look.

'And why in the world would we talk about that? Plus, you have a boyfriend, so slow your horses down.'

'I'm not saying I want him, I'm just saying that you should take a look.'

'Well I did take a look and yes, he does look… more mature and stuff. So what?'

'Nothing, I'm just saying.' she said and she looked over at him. 'He looks good.'

'I know he does.' I said and I looked at him too. 'But all I can do is look.'

While we were looking at Chad, Maya showed up. She ran up to Chad and jumped on his back. At first he was surprised, but then he realized it was her and he laughed. She slid off his back and he turned around. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Gaby and I instantly looked away.

'Hey, let's go inside, huh? We'll be late' I said.

'Yeah, you're right. Let's go' she said and we got up. 'I'll text Troy to tell him we went inside.'

While we were sitting in homeroom class, I was thinking about everything but the things Ms Johnson was saying. I wondered why it bothered me so much to see Chad kiss Maya. I never had any feelings towards him before… at least not that I knew of. Also, I spent the whole summer wondering who that person that liked me was. Gaby said it could be Chad, however she was half serious and half joking. The worst part was that I started thinking so too…

'Taylor!' I heard someone say and I snapped out of it. I looked around and everyone's eyes were on me. Ms Johnson repeated 'Taylor!'

'Yes, Ms Johnson?'

'Could you please get up here and tell everyone what you have to say?'

I looked at her for a second trying to figure out what she meant. I remembered and I got up. I walked to the front of the classroom and looked at everyone. I cleared my throat.

'Um… So as you all know, you can sign up for extracurricular activities until the end of this week. If you want to continue the activities you started last year, you must sign up again. Also, if you did not like the activities you picked last year, you can easily pick some other ones instead. Don't forget to sign up for something until the end of this week.' I said and I went back to my place.

'Thank you, Taylor. Now, let's repeat the rules…' Ms Johnson continued talking, but I didn't listen again. Gaby nudged me.

'Are you okay?' she whispered.

'Yeah, I'm fine' I whispered back.

The bell rang and everyone got up right away. No one wanted to be the last person in the classroom, because that meant they would have to face Ms Johnson. Gaby and I grabbed our stuff and left as well.

'You sure you're fine?' Gaby asked once we were in the corridor.

'Yeah, I'm okay. I was just thinking about something and I blacked out for a sec. Happens.'

'It does, but not to you' she said quietly.

'Wow, why does she have to be such a mean bitch about everything?' Chad asked Troy when they walked up to us.

'I don't know man, guess that's just her way' Troy replied and he put his arm around Gaby. He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled. Chad rolled his eyes.

'Hey Taylor, what you got now?' he asked. I looked at my schedule.

'Math.'

'Guess I'm coming with you then. You guys?' he looked at Troy and Gaby.

'Same as you guys' Gaby replied.

'I have Science now…' Troy said and he looked at Gaby. She looked at me.

'I'll be there in a minute' she said and she smiled.

'Right. See you then.' I smiled and I started walking to my next class, leaving Troy and Gaby behind. Chad ran after me.

'Damn, I have a bad feeling about Math this year. Last year I barely passed. This year will be harder, right?' he asked.

'Well, you know Chad, that's how education usually works. You learn something in order to be able to do harder stuff next year, not the other way around. If that happened, we would still be in preschool.' I answered sarcastically. I did not look at him; I was looking at everyone in the corridor except him.

'Great, then I'm dead for sure. My mother will kill me. She said if I don't get my grades straight, she would send me to a boarding school or something and then I would never play basketball in my life. And if she thinks that sending me to some snob school will make me study harder, she's wrong.'

'What would you do, run away?'

'Probably. I'd do anything to get out of there.'

'How about…' I stopped walking and looked at him. 'How about you study to prevent yourself from being sent there in a first place.'

'See, that's why you the smart one Taylor.' he smiled. 'But you know it's hard for me.'

'Well… If you ever need help with… anything, I'm here.' I said. I couldn't believe something like that would come out of my mouth, but it did. And Chad heard it. He smiled right away.

'Thanks.' he said and we stared at each other for around 3 seconds. I looked away.

'Let's go to class.' I said and we started walking to Math in silence.

It took me a while to realize that I should think twice before I said something, because it could always kick me in the ass later on in life. The action was fast, but the reaction usually came a few weeks later. In the mean time everyone adjusted to school after a long break and everything went back to normal. By that I mean that Chad managed to fail 2 out of 3 Math tests we had and failed the Chemistry test also. I felt bad for him, but since he didn't ask for any help, I just stayed quiet. I heard gossips that if he wouldn't improve his grades, he couldn't play for the team. I didn't ask my dad about that, however when Tony asked him he just said he wasn't sure and left the room. We knew something was happening, but we wanted to stay out of someone else's business. The only problem was that I was going to become a part of that business very soon…

I was sitting in the principal's office. I was in the "waiting room", sitting on a chair right next to the door to the principal's office to be precise. I had no idea why my father told me to show up there after classes, but I did anyway. I could hear a group of people discussing something behind the door. I hear my father's voice, Ms Johnson's voice, the principal, Math teacher and some other, very familiar voice. I couldn't hear what they were talking about though. Suddenly the door opened and I saw my dad.

'Come in Taylor' he said and he went back into the office.

I followed him inside. I stopped at the door to take a look around. I saw the principal sitting at his desk, Ms Johnson and the Math teacher sitting on the chairs next to the principal and my dad was simply leaning against the wall. When I came inside, I also noticed a woman sitting right in front of the principal's desk. She turned around and I saw her face. It was Chad's mother. She smiled when she saw me.

'Sit down, Taylor. Here' the principal said and he pointed at the chair right next to Ms Rossi, Chad's mother. I nodded my head and sat down.

'Ms McKessie' the principal started. 'We called you here because we think you could help us.'

'Taylor, I'm sure you know Chad is having problems again' the Math teacher continued the principal's thought.

'Yes, I am aware of that…' I said. I knew where they were going with that and I didn't really like it.

'Last year, since it was his first year of high school, we were easy on him' Ms Johnson started. 'However, now we cannot tolerate such ignorance towards education this year. We expect our students to be responsible. Unfortunately some students do not take it seriously, so we need to find a way to punish them and motivate them to try harder. We were thinking about suspending Mr. Danforth from the basketball team until he fixed his grades, but coach McKessie said he cannot lose such a valuable player.'

'I need him on the team…' my dad mumbled.

'That is why we… Well Chad needs your help Taylor. Could you maybe consider tutoring him for a while?' Math teacher asked. Everyone in the room held their breaths and they looked at me. I looked down at the floor. I had no idea how to get out of that, it was too late. I've been put against a wall once again. I took a big breath and let the air out slowly.

'Yes sure, why not. I mean, he is my friend, I wouldn't want him to fail this school year and I also know how much the team means to him.' I said.

'So you will help him?' my dad asked.

'Yes, I will.'

Everyone breathed again. The teachers smiled and the principal relaxed. I smiled on the outside, but inside I wanted to hit myself with something heavy.

'I'm glad we found a solution to my son's problem' Chad's mother said and she got up. 'I will talk to Chad when I get home. Thank you for giving him another chance. He is a good boy, he is just very lazy. I promise I will work on that.'

The teachers shook her hand and they talked about something. I went out of the office, because my father told me to wait for him outside. They all talked for a while and then Chad's mother and my father went outside.

'Good job baby!' my dad said and he put his hand on my shoulder. 'You saved the team.'

'Yes, and you saved Chad' said Ms Rossi. 'He was devastated when he found out he wouldn't be able to play because of his grades. I hope this will motivate him to work harder, I know how important basketball is to him. Thank you Taylor.'

'No problem, really. I told Chad he could ask me for help anytime.' I said.

'You did? Well too bad he didn't mention that in the first place, there would be no trouble now. But never mind, hopefully you will be able to explain to him that school is important and that he cannot get through life just by playing basketball.' she said. I looked at my dad, who clearly disagreed with Ms Rossi, but she stayed quiet. I smiled.

'I'll do my best to help him out.' I said.

The next day I felt much different. I wasn't scared of tutoring Chad anymore. I did that last year a few times and it wasn't that bad. I just had to make sure he studied so I wouldn't get into trouble because of him. I wasn't sure if anyone knew about it yet so I didn't talk to anyone about it except Gaby. She knew everything and I knew she wouldn't tell anybody.

During lunch time we were sitting in the cafeteria talking about all the homework we had to do, when Chad walked up to us. We stopped talking and looked at him. He stared at us for a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

'Yes?' Gaby asked.

'Um… Um I gotta ask Taylor somethin'… like now.' he said while scratching the back of his head. 'Can you just…' he pointed away from the table.

'It's okay, Gaby knows.' I said.

'Oh… Right. Aight, look… My mom told me about it… Did you really say yes?' he stammered out.

'Yeah, they asked me to do it so I said yes.'

'Oh, that's awesome.' he said and he rubbed the back of his neck. 'When… When we gonna meet? When do you have time?'

'Well I'm free anytime really… Tell me when you're free and I can adjust to you.'

'Um, how 'bout today? When I come home from practice… At like 4:30? At my place?'

'Yeah, sure.' I smiled.

'Aight, cool. We can discuss the rest later…' he said and he put his hands in his pockets. 'I'll see ya later.'

'Yeah, bye.' I said. He smiled and walked away.

'He's adorable…' Gaby said.

'No, he is just weird.'

'He was so ashamed to ask you… That's too cute.'

I gave her a serious look. 'Stop that. He just knows it's going to be super awkward, that's it.'

'Yeah, yeah… Anyways, if he's not "the guy" then who is?' she asked and she looked around the cafeteria.

'For all I know, it could be anyone…'

It could really be anyone, but I didn't care. I decided to focus on Chad and make sure he passed all the subjects. The rest was not important.

Taylor M.


	10. Chapter 10

OK guys, so I decided to upload this chapter so early (a week after the last one) simple because I was bored and wanted to share it with someone. This is so far my favorite chapter, I don't know why, but I was in a good mood while writing it. I hope you guys like it too and remember, there is way more coming. :)

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>I was at Chad's door punctually at 4:30pm. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. I did a step to the back and I waited for a second for him to open the door. I looked around to check if anyone was looking. For some reason I didn't want to be seen coming into Chad's house.<p>

'Comin', comin'!' I heard Chad yell. He opened the door. 'Hey! Wow, you're early.'

'No, it's 4:30.'

'Yeah, well when I said 4:30 I didn't think you would actually be here at 4:30… Never mind though, come on in.' he said and he moved out of the way. I walked into the hall and he closed the door.

'I hope I didn't… you know, interrupt or something…' I said.

'Nah, it's okay. I just don't feel like doing homework yet.' He smiled. 'Anyways, come on in.' he said and he started walking towards the living room. I followed him.

The Danforths had the biggest and the fanciest house on our street. It was at least twice the size of our house. It had 4 or 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, big kitchen, dining room with a table that could fit 12 people and an enormous living room. I've been there before, however it had been a while so I needed a moment to look around in amazement. In the living room there was a wide, long black couch (covered in leather), a coffee table, a huge flat screen TV on the wall and a white carpet on the floor. The whole room was basically black and white.

'You thirsty or somethin'?' Chad asked from the kitchen.

'No, I'm fine, thanks.' I replied politely.

'Good, 'cause we don't have anything to drink…' he said and he closed the fridge. He walked into the living room holding a bag of snacks. 'Unless you hungry. We have chips.'

'No, I'm fine, really.'

'Alright then, more for me.' He smiled and he opened the bag. 'Let's go to the dining room, more space there.'

'Sure' I said and I followed him to the dining room. It looked just as I remembered it. Long table with 6 chairs at each side. In contrast to the living room, it was really bright there. Or at least it would be, if the drains were opened. However, colors in the room made it look bright. The carpet was light brown, the drains were beige.

We sat down at the table. I put my bag on the ground and I looked down at the table. I knew Chad was staring at me.

'So, what do we do?' he asked and he put another chip in his mouth.

'I don't know, what do you want to practice?'

'Well, hard to say since I suck at everything… Hey, can you help me do my homework?'

'Sure.'

'Awesome. I'll be right back' he said and he ran up the stairs. I sighed and looked around the room. Just by talking to him I knew this would be a hard job for me.

Finally Chad came back with his books and notebooks. He sat on the opposite side of the table, in front of me.

'Here's a thing I don't get.' He opened the book and pointed at one question. 'The math teacher gave it to me as extra practice, but this crap is harder than what we do in class.'

'Let me see' I said, took the book from him and looked at the question. 'Yeah, I don't remember doing this sort of questions. One sec, let me try solving it.'

'Sure, take your time' he said. He folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on them. 'Wonder why she gave that to me…'

'She gave you harder stuff so you can study in advance… You know, when we will officially start doing this, you will have an idea and you won't be behind everyone.'

'Probably… Hey, what's that supposed to mean? "Behind everyone"? When did that ever happen?' he asked. He seemed a bit insulted. I gave him an "are you serious?" look. 'Okay, it happened once or twice… Doesn't mean I'm stupid, does it?' he asked. Now he sounded sad. I looked up at him again and I thought of something nice I could tell him.

'No, it doesn't' I said. 'You are just lazy and that's what you have to work on.'

'Thanks for not calling me stupid like the rest of nerds…' he stopped because he realized what he said. 'I meant smart people. Sorry.'

I shook my head and continued solving that exercise. 'It's fine' I said.

'Your friends don't really like me, do they?' he asked. I looked up at him.

'Um… I don't really know.'

'Of course you do. But it's okay, you don't need to lie to me. I know they all hate me.' he said and he looked down. 'The sad part is that everyone, except the people on the team and cheerleaders, hates me.'

'That's not true… I don't hate you.' I said. Did I actually say that out loud? Too late, he heard it.

'Really?' He smiled. 'I always thought you did. Especially after how much I teased you when we were kids…'

'That's not your fault, all that was Tony.'

'Still, I shouldn't do that… Sorry for that.' he said and he looked at me.

'It's fine, really.' I said and I looked at him. Our eyes met. We stared at each other for a moment before we realized it. I was the first one to look away. It was really awkward, especially because it happened for the second time that day. I looked down at the exercise and tried to continue solving it, Chad sat back on the chair.

'So, um…' he said. 'How's it goin'? The question?'

'Almost done' I said without looking at him. 'When's your mom coming back from work?'

'Around 5:15… why?'

'Just asking. You still need to do your homework and you need me here to help you.'

Chad's mother, Ms Rossi, worked as an attorney. In New York her job was more demanding, but also better paid. However, she decided to move here with Chad after divorcing her husband, Mr. Danforth. She was a very serious person, I rarely saw her laugh at something. She seemed strict, but while having a child like Chad she couldn't be strict, because he kept getting in trouble every day. From what I heard she punished him rarely.

'Yeah, well you can still stay when she comes' he said.

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah. I mean, you're not my girlfriend, so she won't make you leave.'

I laughed. 'Does she actually do that to your girlfriends?'

'Yeah… She doesn't directly tell them to leave though… When I bring a girl home, it's usually before my mom comes back from work. But when we get carried away, Maya usually stays a bit longer and then she runs into my mom. We move to my room, but my mom keeps like calling me all the time and stuff… It's really awkward. That's why I don't usually bring Maya here.'

I laughed again. 'Does she really do that?'

'Yeah I swear! Man, that's a life with an Italian mother. She has no one else to spy on, so she won't let me breath in this house.'

'Aw, it's because you're her little boy. She needs to check on you.' I smiled. Chad smiled back.

'Very funny, hilarious' he said in an irritated voice. 'Is that normal, or is my mom the only psycho around?'

'I don't know, my mom doesn't really spy on any of us… Not me for sure, because she doesn't have a reason to…' I said and I looked up at him.

'Oh yeah, that reminds me… Did anyone ask you out yet?'

'Wha-? No! Why?' I asked.

'Don't you remember what I told you… before summer? About that guy that likes you?'

'Oh yeah… So?'

'I guess he still didn't make his mind up' he said and he chuckled. 'Were you mean to someone or something? The guy seems scared.'

'You know, it would be way easier if you told me who it was. Then I would know whether I was mean to him or no.'

'Oh, I already told you I can't do that. I promised I wouldn't tell. I'd love to help you out, but I can't…' he said and he shrugged.

'Whatever' I said.

'Don't be mad at me though' he said and he looked at me. 'I'd really love to tell you…'

'Never mind, forget about it. Tell that guy that if he will take this much time, no one will ever be interested in him.'

'You mean yourself, right?'

'Yes, precisely.'

'Okay then, I'll keep that in mind' he said and smiled. I gave him a weird look.

'Anyways…' I said in order to change the subject. 'Here, I solved it. It's quite easy, but first you need to do your homework.'

'K, let's do it then.'

After two weeks I got used to teaching Chad. It wasn't that hard, I just needed to find a way to get to him. We also talked a lot… about everything. We tried not to get back to the "mysterious guy" topic though; he knew I didn't want to talk about that. He mostly told me about what they did on practice or about a movie he watched or a song he liked. Surprisingly, I wasn't uncomfortable talking to him at all. We occasionally got into little fights, but they usually ended by him making me laugh.

People at school knew that Chad and I had, as they called it, "private lessons" together, but we both ignored that. At school we both went on with our lives and we couldn't care less about the gossips. We both knew it was only doing homework, nothing else. Besides, Chad was in a committed relationship with Maya and everyone knew that. Maya had nothing against me helping Chad after school.

One day, in the morning, I was running to class. Not because I was late, but I had to get there earlier because I had to talk to the Math teacher about Chad. I had 3 minutes left until the bell and I would be there on time, if I didn't bump into _him_…

'Um, I'm sooo sorry!' I heard someone say. I looked up and I saw a pair of beautiful, deep green eyes looking at me.

'No, I'm fine' I said and I tried to get up.

'Wait, let me help you!' he said and he pulled his hand out. I looked at it and grabbed it. He pulled me up.

'Thanks' I said and smiled. I looked at him. He had shiny brown hair, pearl white teeth and those deep, green eyes…

'Sorry again. I was just trying to get to class… I'm new here' he said shyly. Of course he was, I'm sure I would notice such a cutie walking down the hall for the past 5 weeks. 'I'm Derrick… Derrick Martin.'

'I'm Taylor… Taylor McKessie' I said and I wanted to pull my hand out, but I realized I was still holding his hand. I blushed like an idiot and I took my hand away.

'Um… Are you maybe the coach's daughter?'

'Yeah, that's me. Are you on the team?'

'Yeah, I was accepted yesterday… Anyways, could you maybe help me? I'm looking for M18.'

'Oh, that's close from here. You have to continue straight down this corridor and then turn right. First door on the left.'

'Thanks Taylor' he said and smiled. 'Sorry again for bumping into you… I'll see you around.'

'Yeah' I said and I watched him walk away. I was standing in the middle of the corridor smiling like a weirdo. My daydreaming was cut off by a bell. I finally realized that I was late.

'Shoot!'

I ran to the classroom as fast as I could. I have never been late in my life. I stopped in front of the door, took a few deep breaths to calm down, knocked on the door and opened it. Everyone was staring at me as if I entered the class through a window or something. The math teacher turned around. She was surprised to see me come in after the bell.

'I'm sorry I'm late, may I come in?' I asked. Usually, when someone was late, they were given detention. However, the Math teacher thought it was absurd to send someone to detention only because of that.

'Yes Taylor, come in and take your seat' she said slowly. Man, she really was surprised.

'Thank you' I said and I closed the door behind myself. I looked down at the floor and I made my way to my seat. When I sat down, Gaby nudged me.

'Why were you late?' she whispered.

'I bumped into a new kid, he asked me how to get to class. I had to help him' I whispered back.

'New kid?'

'You'll see later.'

I got my books out and I started copying what the teacher had written on the board. While I was writing, a rolled up piece of paper landed in front of me. I stopped writing and I opened it. It said:

_got caught up watching Discovery Channel? :)  
>-C.D.<em>

I knew the initials, so I turned to Chad. He was smiling but I just gave him an angry look. I ripped the paper into tiny pieces and I made sure he saw it. He mouthed a "sorry", but I just put the pieces in my pocket and continued writing.

At lunch time Gaby and I picked a table in the corner of the cafeteria. From there we could see everyone who came in or left.

'Is he here yet?' Gaby asked.

'No, I don't see him...' I replied.

'Is he really that cute?'

'Yeah, he's alright…'

'Alright? Taylor, how could an "alright" guy cause you being late to class?'

'True… Okay, he's super cute' I admitted and I continued looking around. Gaby smirked.

'Taylor has a crush!'

'Shhh, someone will hear you. And no, I don't have a crush, I just find this guy really… attractive.'

'Then I'm sorry, but that's a crush.'

'Whatever.'

We were sitting there and waiting for Derrick to show up, but we weren't lucky. Instead, Chad and Troy showed up. They walked up to our table.

'What's up?' Troy asked, but he didn't wait for an answer. He immediately wrapped his arms around Gaby and they started chatting about something irrelevant to the whole world. Chad sat in front of me.

'Why are you guys sitting here?' he asked. 'You usually sit over there.'

'Yeah, well our table was taken' I answered.

'No, it's not.' He turned around. 'There is no one there…'

'Well, it was taken when we came here.'

'Oh, okay then…' He turned to me. 'Are we meeting today?'

Exactly when he said it, I saw Derrick coming into the cafeteria. He was walking with a bunch of guys from the team. I didn't know why, but I couldn't stop staring at him. He seemed so… perfect. With his slightly gelled up hair, his gorgeous eyes and the smile that would make any girl melt. I just couldn't stop staring at…

'Taylor!' Chad waved his hand in front of my face. 'You there?'

I closed my mouth and I looked at him. I tried to remember what he asked me.

'Could you maybe repeat?' I asked. I slid my hand under the table and I tapped Gaby on the knee. She looked at me and I pointed at Derrick with my eyes. She spotted him right away.

'I asked if we were gonna meet today' Chad repeated.

'Yeah, sure.' I said while I was looking at Derrick from the corner of my eye.

'Who's that new guy?' Gaby asked all of the sudden. She was still looking at Derrick and Troy didn't notice that.

'Who?' Chad turned around to look. 'Oh, that's Derrick or whatever. He's new.'

'What's he like?' I asked. Chad turned to me and gave me a surprised look.

'He's okay I guess… why?'

'Nothing, just asking.'

'Okay then…'

Gaby and I kept discreetly staring at Derrick, while the guys discussed their practice.

Suddenly, Maya showed up. That girl had a thing with popping out of nowhere. She walked up to our table.

'Hey guys' she said and she smiled weakly.

'Hey babes!' Chad got up and kissed her. 'What's up?'

'Oh, you know… Nothing really. Just getting some lunch. Are you done with class?'

'Yeah, you?'

'Same. Hey, can you maybe walk me home?'

'Sure' he said and he grabbed his bag. 'Is everything okay though?'

'Yeah, it's fine. Just come. See ya guys!' she said and she started walking away.

'Bye ya'll!' Chad waved to us and he ran after Maya.

'What's wrong with her?' Troy asked.

'I don't know.' Gaby shrugged. 'She acted funny, don't you think?'

'Yeah' I said and I took my eyes off Derrick. 'Wonder what that was about.'

Later, at Chad's house, we were again in his dining room just like every other Wednesday. Except that Wednesday was a bit different…

'Are you okay?' I asked him. He was sitting on the armchair that was in the dining room. He acted a bit weird since I came over.

'Yeah, I'm fine…' he said and he sighed.

'Are you sure? You're acting… different.'

'I'm fine…'

'You're usually all over the place, making jokes, making fun of how smart I am… Why aren't you doing that right now?'

'I'm tired…'

'No, you're not' I said seriously. 'Chad, what's going on?' It was really funny, because a small part of me started worrying about him.

'Nothing…' he said and he sat up in the armchair. Just from his facial expression I could tell he was upset.

'Hey' I said and got up. I walked up to the armchair and stood in front of him. 'Tell me what wrong right now.'

'Ugh…' he moaned and he hid his face in his hands. 'Maya…'

'Yeah, Maya… what about her?'

'She… she dumped me.'

I stood there for a second clueless what to do. The poor guy was sitting there, with his face hidden in his hands because his girlfriend broke up with him and I didn't know what to do.

'Why?' I asked. Just after I said it, I realized it was a dumb question.

'I don't know why…' he replied. He was angry and sad at the same time. 'She said that over summer she changed and I changed and we were both different and we wanted different things… I don't know, she just fucking dumped me!'

I felt really bad for him. I sat next to him, on the armrest and I rubbed his back. He kept his face in his hands.

'It's not your fault…' I said quietly.

'Am I really that terrible or stupid or whatever that she had to break up with me? Am I?' he said and he lifted his head up. He looked at me. 'Am I?'

'No, you are not terrible and you are definitely not stupid. She is stupid for dumping you.'

'Well she dumped me, so she's the winner.' he said. He sounded like loser and that irritated me.

'Stop, she didn't win anything. What she did was lose… lose a great guy like you.' I said. It might be hard to believe, but that came straight from the deep bottom of my heart.

He didn't believe in himself though, I could read that off his face. He was still depressed.

'Don't worry' I said and I put my arm around his neck. 'That girl messed with the wrong guy.'

Chad smiled weakly. 'What are you gonna do to her?'

'I'm gonna prove she dumped the best guy in school.' I smiled.

'How?'

'Well, first of all you are gonna get your grades straight, then you will lead the team and win the championship and in the mean time, we will find you a real girlfriend. Maya will be sorry she even thought about breaking up with you.'

Chad's face brightened up. He looked up at me. 'Will you really help me with all that?'

'Yeah, of course. What are friends for?'

'Thanks Tay. You the best.' he said and he put both of his arms around me. For the first time ever, Chad and I hugged. That was the first time I felt this weird… attachment to him. I knew he needed a friend to support him and I was there. No matter what happened, no girl could mess with Chad from then on. I was the only one why could mess with him and he was the only one who could mess with me and we both knew that very well.

Taylor M.

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><p>So yeah, I hope you liked it! :3<p>

Also, I'm not sure whether I will update every week or two weeks... My plan for summer was to update every two weeks, but since it's summer, I'm really creative and those chapters seem to be writing themselves haha :D  
>I will probably update every week, but I'll still see! It depends on your guys' feedback. :)<p>

~TheCreativePenguinLover


	11. Chapter 11

Ok, so as you probably noticed I decided to update this story weekly! I hope you guys are okay with that ;)

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>I hate being in the middle of conflicts. I hate getting into people's business and I hate when people get into mine. That's why I was offended when I heard that I was the reason Chad and Maya broke up. Of course no one told me that directly; I heard it from a third person, but I was equally as insulted. I had no idea who would say that and who started those gossips, but I chose to ignore all that.<p>

I had my library duty for two periods that day. I was sitting there, reading a book as usual. The library was empty, I was the only one there. However, just after I thought I was going to have some peace, I was interrupted.

The door opened slowly and someone came in. I lifted my head up and I saw Chad. He looked around as if he was trying to make sure no one else was there besides us. He walked up to the desk where I was sitting.

'Hey' he said quietly.

'Hey, what's up?'

'Nothing, just wanted to talk…'

'About? And why aren't you in class?'

'Oh, I asked to go to the bathroom. I need to ask you something…'

'Yeah…?'

'Look' he started. He sounded sort of nervous. 'I bet you heard what everyone in school is saying… about us and why Maya broke up with me.'

'Yeah, I did…' I sighed and looked down at my book.

'Ok Taylor, listen. I told all my friends that it's not true and that they shouldn't listen to everyone…' he said and bent over the table. His face was really close to mine now. 'I hope that will stop… at least half of the rumors.'

'Hopefully… Look, I don't care about them. They can think want they want. I mean, it doesn't matter if you, I and Maya know the truth… and our friends know too… So let's just ignore all that and wait for it to go away.'

'You're right… To hell with them' he said and he stood up. 'Thanks. I needed to talk to you. See ya.' he smiled and he walked out of the library.

I sighed and I tried to get back to reading. I was glad Chad tried to clear everything up to his friends. At least they would know the truth and the gossips would end eventually.

I got back to reading, but soon I was interrupted by someone again. I looked up and I saw Maya.

'Hey Taylor' she said quietly. 'I need this book for Mrs. Brown.' She handed me a paper. I looked at it.

'Oh, it's here.' I said and I reached for the book that was on the top of the pile of books on the desk. 'Here you go.' I handed it to her.

'Thanks a lot' she said and she turned around to leave, but changed her mind. She turned to me. 'We gotta talk.'

'We do?' I tried to pretend I had no idea what she was talking about.

'Yeah, we do. I bet you heard all the gossips.'

'Yeah, I heard… something.'

'I'm soooo sorry that you got involved in this' she said and she looked down. I calmed down. I thought she was going to blame me for something, but she wasn't.

'It's okay, it's not your fault anyways. I have no idea who started spreading all those nasty things…'

'I was afraid you'd think it was me…' she looked up.

'No, I'd never think that. Plus, why would you do that? You are a nice person.'

'Thanks Taylor, you are… great. Man, I thought you'd hate me… Since you are Chad's friend.'

'No, nooo… I wouldn't do that, I don't take sides.' I smiled. I didn't hate her, but when Chad told me everything, I wasn't a fan of her either.

'Good… He hates me, huh?'

'Ohh… Um, I wouldn't know.'

'What did he tell you?'

'Nothing… nothing really. He just said you two broke up and… that was it.'

'Oh, okay… Look, those gossips are not true. I would never break up with Chad just because you guys spent time together… I know that you've been friends for years and you helped him at school… I'm not like that, I wasn't jealous or anything… I broke up with him for a different reason and that's between me and him only… So those gossips are completely not true.'

'I know, I didn't even think that for a second…' I smiled. Despite the fact that Maya broke Chad's heart for no obvious reason, she was a really nice girl.

'OK, good… Thanks.'

'For what?'

'For, even though you are friends with Chad, not crapping all over me like the rest of his friends.'

'Oh, um… No problem I guess.'

'Thanks again. Bye.' she said and she left.

By the end of the first period no one showed up in the library anymore, so I had some time for my book. However, I was interrupted as soon as the second period started.

I heard the door open again and I rolled my eyes. I hoped it wasn't anyone who wanted to talk about the whole Chad-Maya thing… Fortunately, it wasn't.

I looked up and froze. It was Derrick. Before I got a chance to check how I looked, he already saw me. I closed the book and discreetly threw it under the desk. I rested my head on my hand and I pretended I didn't see him. He smiled and he walked up to my desk.

'Hey' he said. The second I heard his voice, I got hot chills on my back. I looked at him and pretended to be surprised.

'Oh hi!' I smiled. 'May I help you?'

'Yeah, I think you can…' he smiled. 'But first, I came to pick up my books.'

'Oh yeah, the librarian left some books here.' I got up and I walked up to the cupboard. I opened it and took out the books for him. I walked up to him and handed him the books.

'Thanks a lot.' He smiled and he took them from me. 'Why are you here anyways?'

'Oh, I chose this…' I sat down.

'Isn't it boring sometimes?'

'It's still better than being in Ms Johnson's class…' I said. He chuckled.

'True that. I've been here for a day only, but she's already getting on my nerves.'

'Don't worry, you'll get used to her.' I smiled.

'I guess… Hey, I gotta ask you something… You and that Chad guy… You guys together?'

'What? No, NO. We're not… Why?'

'I don't know, you two hang out and stuff… I figured…'

'No.' I cut him off. 'We are just friends. I help him after school… with homework. That's it.'

'Oh, okay then…' he smiled. 'Oh, I also need this book.' He handed me a piece of paper.

'Sure.' I got up, took the paper from him, read the title and walked up to one of the shelves. 'It should be here… There it is.' I smiled and picked up the book. I walked up to him and handed him the book. 'Here you go.'

'Thanks… again.' He smiled and he took it from me. 'Thanks for help Taylor.' He put the book on the pile of his books and made his way to the door.

'Wait, you forgot the paper!' I called.

'You can keep it.' He stopped at the door and looked at me. I looked down at the paper. On one side there was the title of the book. I flipped the paper over and saw a phone number written on it and underneath it said "Derrick". I looked up at him. He smiled. I smiled back at him. He winked and he left.

I stood there, holding the piece of paper, for a moment. Oh dear, I got a guy's phone number… Derrick's phone number. The first thing I thought about was to run and tell Gaby, but I couldn't because she was in class. So I just sat down and started at the paper. His handwriting was a bit messy, but I had a major crush on him so I couldn't care less. I just stared at the paper and in my brain I made up scenarios of a date with him. Of course I had no idea what I would say when I called him or what would I talk to him in general, but those were the least of my problems. I just sat there and stared at the paper.

After school I was at Chad's. While he was solving his exercises, I daydreamed. Gaby went completely nuts when I told her what happened. She said that as soon he asked me out, she'd help me get ready for the date and stuff. I wasn't really into that whole getting ready thing, but at that moment, the idea appealed to me a lot. I was nervous, because he was, eventually, going to be my first boyfriend ever.

'Here, I'm done' Chad said and he put the notebook in front of me.

'Okay, let me look at it.'

'You alright? You seem… distant.'

'Yeah, I'm fine. Why?'

'I don't know… Is it because of the rumors?'

'Nope. I already forgot about that.' I smiled.

'Wait, you are in a good mood… Is some kind of scientific convention held in our town?' he asked jokingly. I laughed.

'No.'

'Umm… Your favorite book is coming out as a movie?' he kept guessing.

'No.'

'Hm… I know! They found a new element and added it to that table in Chemistry class!' He smiled. I laughed and threw a pencil at him.

'You're stupid… and mean' I said. He laughed.

'Then tell me what's up?' He smiled again.

'Well… You'll make fun of me.'

'I won't. I promise.' He looked at me seriously. 'Now tell me.'

'I'm… going on a date.' I said.

'Really? Wow… what do you know, hell really froze over.' He smiled.

'See? You're mean to me!'

'I'm sorry.' He laughed. 'But seriously, you agreed to go out with someone? What, did they finally come out with a human that fits your requirements?' he asked sarcastically. I giggled.

'Well, someone like that came along, yes.'

'And may I know who it is? Who is the person that good enough even for Taylor McKessie?'

'It's… It's Derrick.' I said shyly.

'Really? Derrick? The new guy? You don't even know him.'

'So?'

'So? Well he might be a… serial killer or something.'

'Oh Chad' I said and rolled my eyes.

'Well, you don't know!'

'Why are you concerned all of the sudden?' I asked. He seemed a bit too interested in me going out with Derrick.

'I don't know… You're my friend. I don't want you chopped into pieces.' He looked down. I laughed.

'I'm going to be fine.'

'Alright then… But if you're going out with Derrick, what about the other guy? The one that likes you?'

'Too late now. I told you to tell him to hurry up, before it's too late. And now it's too late.'

'How could he possibly know that Derrick would ask you out? Who could know that?' he asked. I looked at him seriously.

'No one. See? I told you that that guy was taking too long. If only he asked me out, I don't know, two days ago, I could be going out with him instead of Derrick. But now it's too late.'

'Wait, so you're saying that if he, that guy asked you out, you would actually go?'

'I guess…' I shrugged. 'It's too late now anyways.'

'Damn…' he sighed and looked down.

'Excuse me?'

'What?' He looked up at me fast. 'I mean he's going to be sad… and stuff. He's that sort of… sensitive guy, you know. I don't know if he will get over this…'

'Well, it's his problem now' I said and I got up. 'Look, I gotta go home now. Your mom will be here any minute and I don't wanna annoy you guys. I hope you now know how to finish your homework.'

'Yeah, I guess…' he said.

'Okay then. See ya later.' I picked up my bag and headed to the door.

'Taylor, wait!' Chad called. My heart stopped. I thought that that was it; he was going to tell me that he was "the guy". I took a deep breath and faced him.

'Yes?' I asked.

'Um… So, like… what do I tell the guy then?' he asked while scratching the back of his head. I felt relieved, but not completely…

'Tell him that next time he shouldn't hesitate for so long.' I smiled.

'Right' he said and he nodded his head. 'Done.'

'Can I go now?' I asked.

'Yeah, sure. I'm not gonna hold you any longer.' He smiled. 'Bye.'

'Bye.' I smiled and I left.

On my way from Chad's door to our door I couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. I was praying that Chad wasn't "the guy" and now I was sure he wasn't. However, when I learned that I didn't feel any better. On the contrary, it sort of made me feel disappointed. It wasn't the fact that I wanted Chad to like me or anything, but on the other hand I wouldn't mind. After all, he wasn't that bad.

I opened the door to our house, came in and locked it behind myself. I put my bag on the floor and looked around. It was way too quiet in there, especially because Tony was supposed to be home already.

'I'm home!' I yelled and waited for an answer. I usually did that not to announce my arrival, but to check of anyone was home.

'Wait! Stay there! I'm coming!' Destiny yelled from upstairs. I was confused, but I decided to listen to her anyway. I stayed in the hallway.

I heard the door open and Destiny walked down the stairs.

'What are you doing home so early?' she asked and she started fixing her hair in the mirror.

'I'm always home this time… The question is what are you doing home so early?' I asked suspiciously. She opened her mouth to answer, but she got interrupted by the sound of footsteps. I looked at the stairs and I saw her boyfriend Jerome. He was putting his belt on while walking down the stairs. I looked at Destiny.

'And what is he doing here?' I asked and I pointed at him.

'Um…' Destiny hesitated. She looked at him and then she looked back at me. 'None or your business.'

'You know he's not allowed to be here, especially when mom and dad are out.'

'Yo, what's the fuss all about?' Jerome asked. He seemed confused.

'Nothing, baby.' Destiny walked up to him.

'Who's she?' he asked and pointed at me.

'I'm her sister.' I said and rolled my eyes.

'Oh, right. I remember you. You the one that talks funny.'

'Jerome, could you maybe excuse us for a second?' Destiny whispered to him.

'Yeah man, no problem. I gotta bounce anyway' he said and he put his jacket on. 'See ya later.'

'Yeah, bye.' Destiny kissed him on the cheek and he left.

'Really?' I turned to her. 'That guy? Out of all the guys in the world? Really?'

'Shut up.' she said and she walked to the living room. I followed her.

'Dad would be so mad if he knew you had him over…'

'Well, he won't be mad if he doesn't find out' she said and looked at me seriously.

'And why wouldn't I tell him?' I asked. Finally I found something I could use against Des.

'Because I will kill you.'

'Really? I thought only killing Tony is worth going to jail for.'

'I can risk it' she literary growled at me. We were now face to face.

'Yeah, go ahead' I said. She looked at me for a moment.

'Ugh.' She gave up and sat down on the couch. 'What do you want?'

'Hmm, I don't know yet…' I said and I sat down next to her. 'I have to think about it…'

'I hate you, really. You are like a saint. I can't use anything against you' she said. I smiled.

'Not my fault you chose to be naughty…'

'He just drove me from work!' she cried.

'Of course he did. And on the way here you stopped to pick up some flowers too.' I said sarcastically. 'Oh come on! I'm not ten years old anymore.'

'Then what do you want from me?'

'I'll think about it. For now it will stay a secret though.'

'Fuck you.' she said and she kicked me off the couch. I laughed.

'See ya later… man!' I got up from the floor and ran to my room.

I did all my homework at Chad's, so when I got home, I had nothing to do. I changed into my comfy, house clothes and I sat on my bed. I was just about to reach for my book, when I remembered that Derrick gave me his phone number. I jumped off the bed, walked up to my closet, opened it and looked through my jeans. I found the piece of paper in my pocket. I went back to my bed stared at it for a moment. I wanted to call him, but I had no idea what to say. I anyway reached for my phone and dialed the number. I put the phone to my ear and took a deep breath. When I heard the beeping sound, I wanted to put the phone away. However, Derrick was faster and he answered the phone on time.

'Hello?'

'Hi Derrick, it's… Taylor' I said shyly.

'Taylor? Wow, I didn't think you'd call me.' From his voice I could tell he was happy to hear me.

'Um, yeah I didn't think so either… But I did' I giggled nervously. Thank God he couldn't see me, I was smiling like an idiot again.

'I'm really happy you called though… Hey, listen… Maybe we could go somewhere together? You know, maybe movies or just to hang out? How about that?' he asked. I was trying really hard not to scream "YES PLEASE!". I took another deep breath to calm myself.

'Um, yeah, sure. Why not' I answered.

'Okay, awesome. I'll see you at school tomorrow. We can talk about it then, huh?'

'Yeah, sure. Just one thing… What about my dad?'

'What about him?'

'He's, let's say… very skeptical about me going out with guys from the team.'

'Oh, don't worry about it. We'll figure something out.'

'Oh, okay then. Great.' I smiled.

'Alright, bye.'

'Bye.' I said and I hung up. I smiled to myself. I couldn't believe it was happening. I, a usual nerd who no one at school cared about, was going out with Derrick, the cutest guy on the whole basketball team. I was really excited.

'Going out, huh?' I heard someone say. I looked up and saw Destiny. She was leaning against the door-frame. 'With who?'

'None of your business.' I said and I reached for my book.

'Well, it sure is none of my business, but probably dad would love to know that his little princess is going out with one of the players on his basketball team…'

'Really?' I asked sarcastically.

'Yeah. I mean, we both know how much he hates that…' She smiled evilly.

'What are you trying to do?' I gave her a suspicious look.

'I was thinking about telling daddy… But then I realized that you also know my little secret… Let's make a deal.' She sat on my bed, next to me. 'You keep quiet about Jerome and I won't tell dad about your little boyfriend.'

'Hm…' I bit my lips and thought about it. Hiding secrets from my dad wasn't the best idea, but I still wanted to go out with Derrick. Also, I knew that if I kept Destiny's secret, she would definitely keep mine. 'Yeah, let's do that.'

'Good. See, you're not that saint after all' she said and got up. I gave her a confused look. She laughed. 'You'll see, the older you get, the worse you become.'

'Yeah, whatever.' I shook my head.

'You'll see.' She laughed and left my room.

Now I know I was still too young to understand what she meant by that. However, soon I was going to realize it was one of the wisest things she ever told me.

Taylor M.


	12. Chapter 12

Going out with Derrick was either the most important step in my whole story or the reason why my love life has been the way it is since high school. However, on that day the only thing I knew was that it was one of the most stressful events in my whole life. I was 16 back then, so I had no clue what real stress was.

Derrick kept his promise. At school he stopped me at the corridor and asked me out properly, not over the phone like I thought he would. I agreed right away. I don't know if anyone saw what happened between us, but I really didn't care. We even agreed not to hide with it. We wanted people to know, except for my dad of course. Now I know that not keeping our "relationship" a secret was rather stupid, especially because if the whole school knew, my dad would find out eventually. However, I wanted to risk it. I thought about all the possible scenarios and realized that in none of them my dad would murder me. If he found out, the worst thing he could do was to forbid me seeing Derrick. I knew he wouldn't do that, I mean he even let Destiny date an ex convict, so he most certainly could not be mad about Derrick… At least that's what I thought.

Our first date was nothing special to be honest, but before I get to that, I must tell you how much effort I put in it. Maybe then you will understand why it was such a letdown for me.  
>The date was on Saturday at 4, we were going to the movies. My parents were out having dinner with their friends, Tony was out with Chad, and Destiny was at home as usual. I didn't mind her being there because she knew my "secret." Gaby came over at 2 to help me get ready. I think she was even more excited than I was.<p>

'So, what are you going to wear?' she asked. I looked at her puzzled.

'I don't know…' I replied.

'Are you serious? Come on! Did you even think about it?' She got up from my bed and headed to my closet.

'Not really…'

'Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something here!' She opened my closet and looked inside. 'Wow, you're organized.'

'Thanks' I laughed.

'Hmmm, let's see what we have here…' She literally went inside and started going through my clothes. 'Hoodie, hoodie, jeans… Skirts by any chance?'

'Skirts? Should I wear a skirt? On the first date?' I asked. She stuck her head out of closet and gave me a serious look.

'What else are you gonna wear?'

'I don't know… I don't wear skirts every day, I'm not comfortable with wearing one in front of him…'

'Okay, okay… Then let's find you some cool jeans and something to match it, huh?'

'Sure.'

It took Gaby a while to "dress me up", but she did it. I looked… really good actually, as good as a 16 year old can look in jeans, T-Shirt and a jacket on top.  
>At 3:45 I was ready to go. We walked down the stairs, but on our way to the door we got stopped by Destiny.<p>

'So, you're going out, huh?' she asked and crossed her arms.

'Yeah, I am. See you later.'

'Wait' she said and she walked up to me. She fixed my jacket. 'Have fun, and if the kid tries something, you slap him across the face, you understand?'

'Yes, I think I do…'

'OK, have fun. I'll tell mom and dad you went out with Gaby.' She smiled.

'Thanks.' I smiled back and Gaby and I left.

'Wow, what's up with her? Why is she all good all of the sudden?' Gaby asked.

'I don't know, she recently started acting… nice. Maybe she's just sick.' I giggled. Gaby laughed.

At the wicket we were stopped by Chad and Tony. They were just coming back Chad's yard where they played basketball.

'Yo, where you guys going?' Tony asked. He wiped his face with his T-Shirt.

'Movies' I replied.

'Movies? Right now?' Chad asked.

'Yeah, why not?'

'Um, I don't know… what are you guys gonna watch?' he asked again. I rolled my eyes. He would totally blow our cover.

'We don't know yet' Gaby explained. 'We'll figure it out when we get there. Now let's go.'

'Alright then. See ya.' Tony nodded at me and headed to the door. 'Yo Chad, you comin'?'

'Yeah man, in a sec.' Chad answered and he looked at me.

'Aight.' Tony shrugged and went inside.

'What?' I asked. I was irritated.

'Nothin'… Are you guys really going to the movies?'

'No, we aren't. I'm going out with Derrick' I said.

'Ohhh yeah, I forgot… Well, have fun then.'

'I will. Now if you excuse me, I gotta run or I'll be late. Let's go Gabs!' I grabbed her and we started walking away.

'Hey Tay!' Chad called.

'What?' I stopped walking and turned to him.

'You look nice.' He smiled and he went inside our house. I rolled my eyes and we continued walking. Gby giggled.

'Awww, he's so adorable' she said.

'Such a weirdo.'

'He gave you a compliment.'

'I couldn't care less right now.'

'You know I still think he's "the guy".'

'He's not. Just from the way he talks about him seems… well, like it's not him. And I hope it's not him, because that would be super annoying.'

When we got near the mall, Gaby hugged me, wished me good luck and left. I was all alone now. I took a few deep breaths and I continued walking to the place where Derrick and I were supposed to meet. I calmed down a bit when I saw him there. I was there exactly at 4, which means he got there before me. Wow, he really knew how to impress me.

He said hey and hugged me. To be honest, the single hug was enough for me to like him even more. I think I just smiled silly and we headed to the movie theatre. We picked some comedy, I don't remember the title anymore. When we got out tickets and popcorn (of course he paid for me), we sat down in the hall and waited until the movie started. He asked me how my day was and we talked about that for a moment.

We were sitting in the middle row. There were not that many people in the movies that day. Throughout the whole movie we didn't say a word to each other. We just kept eating popcorn and occasionally laughing at the jokes in the movie.

After the movie finished, he walked me to the little square in front of the mall.

'So, did you like the movie?' he asked.

I smiled. 'Yeah, it was pretty funny.'

'I'm glad. I didn't really know what you'd like to see…'

'Oh, comedies are the ones I like a lot.'

'Now I know.' He smiled. 'This was fun.'

I smiled again. 'It really was.'

'Look, I gotta go now… I really had fun with you today Taylor.'

'Same.'

We stood there for a moment just staring at each other. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Should I walk away? Or should I hug him? Fortunately, he knew what the next move was. He got closer to me, stared at my lips for a second, then leaned in and kissed me. Yes, Derrick Martin was my first real kiss. The very kiss ever, the first serious one with a guy I liked… and yet I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It lasted for about 3 seconds. He pulled away and smiled.

'Bye.'

'Bye.' I said and we both went our own, separate ways.

On my way home I couldn't stop thinking about it. The whole date was nothing I expected. At that moment I wasn't sure whether dates were supposed to be that… boring and movies lied, or it was our fault. I imagined it a lot more interesting and fun. I dreamed we would talk for hours and then, when the date was finally over, we would kiss. Not the way we kissed, I actually imagined those "butterflies" everyone always talked about, but that didn't happen. I didn't feel any butterflies. I might have been nervous and embarrassed… Now I know that is not what the butterflies feel like, that is what discomfort felt like. Yet again, I was only 16 and I was really inexperienced in those things. However, I still felt something was wrong.

When I was at my wicket, I saw Chad taking the garbage out. I slowed down, hoping he would notice me. As usual, he did.

'Hey Taylor!' he called.

'Oh hey!' I said in a surprised tone, so he would think I didn't see him before. I stopped walking and I returned to the sidewalk.

'What's up?' he asked. He walked up to the garbage can, opened it and threw the bag inside. 'How was your date?'

'It was okay…'

'Okay?' He walked up to me. 'Shouldn't you sound a bit more… excited?'

'I'm not sure…'

'Wow, you don't sound so good… What happened?'

'Nothing…' I said and I leaned on the fence. 'Nothing happened and that's the problem.'

'Okay, remember you're talking to me. I'm slow, I will need a few more details.' He smiled and I laughed.

'I don't know…' I said and looked down. 'I just feel like something was missing.'

'What did you guys do?'

'Went to the movies… and that's it.'

'Hmmm… Wait, he didn't walk you home?' he asked. He leaned on the fence, next to me.

'No… why?'

'Don't know, it's just a bit weird… I always walk girls home.'

'Really? Why?'

'No idea… it's just a habit. Plus, my father taught me that ladies like being taken care of.' He smirked and I giggled.

'I guess… Maybe Derrick just doesn't do that.'

'Maybe he doesn't… So why are you sad?'

'I'm not sad... I'm just disappointed' I said and I looked at the other side of the street.

'Okay, then why are you disappointed?' he asked.

'I really don't know... I expected it to be better...' I said and looked down at my feet.

'Hey, don't worry! Maybe it went like that because it was your guys' first date. It was awkward, but you just need to get to know each other better.'

'You think?'

'Yeh. It's usually like that.'

'Thanks Chad. I needed someone positive to talk to.' I got up. He chuckled.

'No problem.' He got also. 'Anytime Tay.'

'See ya.' I waved to him and I headed to my door. He smiled, nodded at me and he went back to his house.

My parents were already home, but they thought I was out with Gaby so they didn't ask me anything. I went straight to my room and I fell on the bed. I felt really unmotivated. I started thinking about what Chad told me. Maybe he was right, maybe Derrick and I needed to break the ice first and then everything would be different. To be honest I was really unsure about that, but I didn't want to make myself sad, so I just stayed positive. I was glad the next day was Sunday, because I needed some time to think the whole date through. Even though it was sort of disappointing, I decided to think optimistic thoughts.

After a week of dating Derrick, all my worries concerning him went away. He was a really cool guy, we spent time together at school, and we went out a few times. Everything was fine. The whole school knew, except for my father. Everything was perfect. However, all good things come to an end... usually a tragic end for me.

We went out on the weekend. It was Saturday I think; we have been dating for exactly two weeks. We were walking down the street holding hands. It was getting dark outside. Yes, it was a hot October evening.

'Hey, I have an idea' Derrick said and he pulled me closer to him and then put his arm around me. 'Wanna come over to my place?'

'Why?'

'I don't know, don't you wanna know where I live? I know where you live so it's a bit unfair.' He smiled. I giggled.

'Yeah sure, why not.'

'My parents are not home, they left for the weekend. I'm home alone, they won't annoy us' he said. The small red light in my head should have turned on, but it didn't. I was just a bit unsure.

'I don't know Derrick, I think I should go home' I said.

'Oh come on! It's not even that late yet. We can hang out, watch a movie... Come on!'

'Oh, okay then. I gotta leave at 8 though!' I looked at him seriously. He smiled.

'Sure' he said and kissed me.

So yeah, we went to his place. His parents really weren't at home, so we were all alone. I have no idea how and why, but we ended up in his room. I sat down on his bed, because there were clothes on his chair. He sat next to me.

'So...?' I asked and looked at him.

'So? Hmmm... I don't know, what do you wanna do?'

'I don't know... what can we do?' I asked. Damn, if I only kept my mouth shut.

'I think I know...' He smiled and stared at my lips. I thought I understood what he meant so I smiled and kissed him. However, that was not quite what he meant. The kiss started getting really intense. I felt his hand going up my thigh, which made me feel… uncomfortable. The next thing I knew, he was trying to get on top of me. I pulled away and pushed him off.

'What the hell are you doing?' I asked. Man, was I mad.

'It's okay baby, just relax' he said and he tried to kiss me again. I pushed him away.

'Stop, what are you doing?'

'What's wrong?' he asked. He had a confused look on his face.

'What's wrong? What's wrong is what you're trying to do! I don't like it!'

He rolled his eyes. 'Come on, we've been dating for two weeks already…'

'So what?'

'So it's about time we moved on' he said seriously. I couldn't believe in what I just heard.

'Are you serious?' I said and got up. 'Who do you think I am?'

'My girlfriend' he said. I was shocked.

'Are-? What? I can't, I can't believe this' I said and ran out of his room.

'Hey, where you going?' He got up and followed me.

'Home' I said while walking down the stairs.

'You know that if you walk out, we are done' he said and he stopped on the top of the stairs. I stopped at the door and looked at him. He was mad, I could tell from his face.

'Good!' I opened the door and left.

That was the first time a guy broke my heart. When I look back at that, I feel sorry for myself. I was just a girl back then. If he met the present-day me, he wouldn't get away that easily. I would probably gift him with a nice kick in between the legs, just for the fun of it. Yet, I'm still proud of myself. I didn't let the guy use me. Who cares I cried on the whole way home, I was still strong inside.

I came home at around 8pm. Before opening the door, I precisely wiped my eyes. I quietly opened the door, walked inside, closed the door and took my shoes off. I wanted to go to my room right away, but I was stopped while I was passing by the living room.

'So, Derrick Martin, huh?' my dad asked. I stopped walking and turned my head towards the living room. My dad, mom and sister were there. Tony was probably in his room.

'Not anymore' I said quietly and I ran up the stairs. I didn't want him to stop me again, because then I would just break down and cry like a baby.

'I'll talk to her, dad' Destiny said and she followed me. I had no idea she was coming, so I almost shut the door in her face.

'Hey, wait.' She stopped the door with her hand. 'What's wrong?'

I took my jacket off, threw it on the chair and sat on my bed with my legs curled up.

'Are all guys assholes?' I asked.

'Yes, they are.' Destiny closed the door, walked up to the bed and sat next to me. 'Every single one of them.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Would that make you break up with Derrick?'

'No.'

'That's why I didn't tell you. I thought that sooner or later you'd find out… Though I had no idea it would be that soon. What did he do?'

'He was one step ahead of me… No, wait. Like 4 steps ahead of me.'

'Did you slap him across the face like I told you to?'

'No, I forgot…' I sighed and I laid back on the bed.

'It's okay… Did you dump him for good?'

'Yeah…' I sighed again and looked at the ceiling.

'Good girl.' She smiled. I sat up.

'Dating sucks' I said.

She wiped a tear off my cheek with her thumb. 'Doesn't it?'

'I mean, I even put make up on for that idiot. And all he wanted was to use me.'

'Happens a lot…' she said. She reached for the box of tissues and handed it to me.

'Wait, so if all guys are like that… How come women still keep dating them?' I asked and I wiped my eyes.

'Oh, that's simple. Some of them are just nicer assholes than others' she explained. I gave her a confused look.

'What is your boyfriend then?'

'An asshole... But a mediocre one.'

'Why do you date him?' I asked. She sighed.

'That's hard to explain. Sometimes women find themselves dating guys who treat them like crap… and decide to do nothing about it. I guess I'm one of them' she said. Again, Destiny was sharing grown up world's wisdom with me, but I was still too young to understand… Or was I?

'Break up with him?'

'It's not that simple… Anyways, you dumped that Derrick kid and good for you. I didn't like him anyways' she said and smiled.

'Turns out I didn't like him that much either… He wasn't a dream boyfriend.'

'Yet you still dated him?'

'Yeah…' I said and looked at her. I realized that I did exactly the same thing she was doing. I stayed in the relationship even though I didn't feel so good in it. 'Ohhh, now I get it. It's really stupid though.'

'I know it is… Look, change your clothes and come downstairs. We are watching "Friends".'

'What will I tell mom and dad?'

'Just say you dumped him because you didn't like him.'

'Yeah, you're right. I can't tell dad the truth, 'cause then he will kill Derrick.' I looked at Destiny. 'Thanks… for the talk.'

'Anytime.' She smiled. 'I'm always here for you. You can also talk to mom, but she's a bit oldschool. Her advice applies to me, not so much to you… So yeah, stick to talking to me.' She smiled and I laughed.

'Noted.'

'Come here!' she said and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.

Destiny and I soon became a lot closer than we ever were before. She said she had to grow up to be an older sister, because all that bulling me when I was smaller was the only way to communicate with me she knew. It was enough that we found one thing in common (it started off with my boy problems) and I could talk to her about anything. My mom knew that talking to Destiny was good for me, so she didn't ask any of the regular awkward questions. I always had Gaby to talk to, however finally gaining my sister's trust was priceless.

Taylor M.

* * *

><p>Sorry for this chapter, I bet you guys would love to have Chaylor go out, but I guess you'll just have sit down and wait to see what happens! :P<p>

Feel free to review! I need to know if you guys like the story. (I know you do, that's why you're here DUH but each chapter is different and maybe you guys feel like something is missing? Let me know so I can fix it and make you all happy! Creeepy hahah)

~TheCreativePenguinLover


	13. Chapter 13

The break up with Derrick was quite rough, however I managed to keep my head up high when I entered the school on Monday. I wasn't sure if people knew or not. I only told my closest friends, including Chad because he kept asking so many questions I nearly exploded. Gaby was the only one of them who knew the whole truth, meaning why we broke up. She felt sorry for even encouraging me to go out with Derrick, but it wasn't her fault. It was my fault. I was so blinded by his looks, that for a moment there I lost my common sense. However, that was over. I had him off my back and I was single again. At first I was sad, but after a week it started feeling really good. Except for one little detail. I had no idea why, but every time I was passing by, people either gave me strange looks or giggled. I tried to ignore it, but it really bothered me.

'Hey guys' I said as I sat down at the table with Gaby and Troy.

'Hey Tay, what took you so long?' Gaby asked.

'There was a line… as usual. I just came too late.'

'It's always better to come here at one. If you come here at least 5 minutes later, it's crazy' Troy explained.

'Yeah, thanks for the tip' I snapped. I was a bit irritated, but what Troy said had nothing to do with it.

'Sorry…' he said quietly.

'What's wrong Tay?' Gaby asked. She had a concerned look on her face, because she knew I'd never snap at Troy like that.

'I don't know...' I said. I unwrapped my sandwich and looked at it. 'It's just that… Every time I pass by, people give me these funny looks…'

'Why?'

'I don't know!' I rested my head on my hand. 'It's like I did something wrong…'

Chad walked up to us and sat next to me.

'What's up guys?' He smiled, but his facial expression changed when he saw all of us were serious. 'Yo, what's wrong? Who died?'

'Something is wrong…' Gaby said and looked at me.

'You okay Taylor?' he asked.

'Yeah, I'm fine… Just… Chad, why is everyone giving me funny looks?' I asked. He raised his eyebrows.

'I don't know. Is everyone really doing that?'

'Yes! Almost the whole school! And I have no idea why!'

'Hmm… I didn't hear any gossips recently… At least none of them had anything to do with you. What about you guys?' He looked at Troy and Gaby. They both shook their heads. 'Then I'll try to find out and let you guys know.'

'Thanks' I said quietly.

'No problem Tay.' He smiled. 'Now stop worrying and eat your sandwich before I take it' he said jokingly, but I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

'You want it?' I asked. He stopped smiling.

'What's it with?' he asked slowly.

'Tuna.'

'Is that one of those amazing tuna sandwiches your mom makes?'

'I guess… You want it?' I asked again. He hesitated for a moment, and then he picked up the sandwich, broke it into two parts and put one part in front of me.

'It's more fair like that.' He smiled and he bit his half of the sandwich.

'If you say so…' I looked away. I caught Gaby looking at me. She smirked and I just shook my head. She was still on about that Chad thing. She still thought he was "the guy" who liked me.

After classes I was waiting for my dad. I was in a bad mood and I didn't feel like going home by myself. When he finished the practice, we went to his office. He had to wait for all the guys to change and leave so he could lock the gym.

'How was school today?' he asked me. He was sitting at his desk and I was sitting on the chair right in front of him.

'It was okay. I got an A on my chemistry test.'

'Congrats!'

'It's okay dad, after all these years you can stop acting surprised every time I get an A.' I smiled and he laughed.

'Oh come on, doesn't matter how many times you get one, it matters that you keep getting them.'

'I guess.'

The guys kept passing by my dad's office saying "Bye coach" and he replied to every single one of them. I looked down at the ground. When I was sitting and watching them practice, most of them gave me those funny looks again. I still had no idea what that was about.

'Hey pops, I'm ready' someone said. I looked up and saw Tony. He looked down at me. 'Why didn't you go home already?'

'Didn't feel like going by myself' I said.

'Why, what's wrong?' he asked. I gave him a confused look.

'Why are you asking?'

'I don't know, I'm trying to make a conversation?'

'Stop it, you're freaking me out' I said.

'Oh, sorry princess. Sorry I dared to talk to her majesty' he said sarcastically. I stuck my tongue out at him and he just started mimicking me. My dad sighed.

'Stop it you two!' he said strictly. 'You are in high school, it's about time you two started controlling…' he stopped talking.

'Dad?' I asked.

'Shhh…' He looked in the direction of the locker room. 'You guys hear that?'

Tony and I looked at each other and started listening carefully. After a second I heard some guys yelling and cheering. The sounds were coming from one of the changing rooms.

'What the hell?' My dad got up from his chair. 'Tony, come with me.'

They ran out of the office.

'Hey! Hey! Cut it off! Right now!' I heard my dad yell. I knew he wanted me to stay in the office, but the curiosity was pulling me towards the changing room. I got up and ran there. I stopped at the door and saw my dad holding Chad and Tony holding Derrick. They were surrounded by a group of guys. Derrick's nose was bleeding and his face was all red. I looked at Chad and saw that he was bleeding from his lips and his brow was cut. They obviously got in a fight.

'What the hell is going on here?' my dad yelled. 'What the hell is wrong with you two?'

Neither of them answered, they just kept looking at each other with furious looks on their faces.

'Derrick, go see the nurse. I'll be there in a moment.'

Tony hesitated for a second, but he let Derrick go. He sort of pushed him away. Derrick looked at Chad, chuckled and grabbed his T-Shirt. No one saw me there, so I just hid behind the wall. Derrick walked right past me without even noticing me. My dad let Chad go once Derrick was out of sight.

'What the hell?' dad asked Chad. My father was furious. Chad looked down. He was silent. 'We'll talk later' my dad said in a serious tone. He looked around the changing room. 'What the hell are you all looking at? Home!'

'Yes sir' the guys said as if they were synchronized. They grabbed their stuff and walked out of the room, leaving only dad, Chad and Tony in there. My dad sighed heavily.

'Danforth, my office! Now! Wait for me there!' he yelled and he stormed out. He bumped into me on his way out. I was scared he'd yell at me, but surprisingly he did not. 'Taylor, could you maybe take care of Chad?'

'Yeah, sure' I said.

'Good. Thanks' he said and he headed towards the nurse's office.

'Man, what happened?' Tony asked Chad.

'Nothin'…' he replied. He put his T-Shirt on and made his way to dad's office. Tony and I followed him.

'Then why'd you beat up Martin?' Tony continued his interrogation.

'Cause he deserved it…' Chad answered as he fell on the chair. I opened one of the cupboards and took out the first aid set. I put it on my dad's desk and opened it.

'What did he do though?'

'Never mind.' Chad looked down. I stood in front of him and looked at his face. His lip was still bleeding pretty badly.

'Look at me' I said. I needed him to lift his head up so I could clean his wounds.

'Why?' he asked, but he did it anyway. 'What are you gonna do?'

'Help you' I replied and handed him a piece of gauze. 'Put it to your lip.'

'Okay' he said and he did what I told him. As soon as he touched his lip, he jumped up in the chair. 'Man, this hurts! What is that?'

'Water with 6% of Hydrogen peroxide… It will clean your wounds.'

'But it hurts!'

'Don't be a baby' I said. I took his hand and I forced him to touch his lips. 'It will stop hurting in a moment.'

'Yeah Chad, you beat up Martin but you can't stand some burning on your lip?' Tony teased him.

'Shut up!' Chad said. I laughed.

'Let me see your brow now' I said and I twisted his head a little so that I could see it. 'Hmmm… It's cut.'

'No way' Chad mumbled. I gave him an angry look. 'Sorry… why are you doing this? Why didn't I go to the nurse?'

'Because, unlike some people, I finished the first aid course back in junior high. Plus, why would you go to the nurse if you can scream like a baby here?' I smiled and Tony laughed. God, did I love teasing Chad like that.

'Very funny' he said. He rolled his eyes and put the gauze away from his lip. He looked at it. 'Damn, he hit me real hard.'

'Not as hard as you hit him' someone said. It was my dad. He walked into his office.

'Dad, do you think he'll need a stitch?' I asked. My father looked at Chad's brow.

'No, he'll be fine' he said.

'Okay then, band aid it is' I said and I reached for one.

'Give him a bigger one, he's still bleeding' my dad advised me.

'Sure.' I took out a big band aid and stuck it onto Chad's brow. 'You look lovely' I said jokingly. He just gave me an annoyed look. I put the first aid set back into the cupboard and stood next to Tony.

My father took a deep breath and looked at Chad.

'What happened? Why did you two fight?' he asked.

'I can't tell…' Chad looked down. My dad leaned against his desk.

'You have to, because I need to tell his parents why you broke their kid's nose.'

Chad looked up. 'Really?'

'Yeah. The nurse said it was broken, he's at the principal's office, waiting for his parents to pick him up and get him to a hospital. It's pretty bad.'

'Well, he had it comin…' Chad mumbled.

'Excuse me?' dad asked. Tony and I stood there in silence, waiting for Chad to answer.

'I mean… I wanted to hit him, but not to break his nose.'

'Why did you hit him?'

'Um…' Chad looked up at dad. He hesitated for a moment. 'He said… something.'

'What did he say?'

'I can't tell, coach. It was somethin' bad…'

'So he provoked you?'

'Not directly… Just what he said made me mad. I told him to shut up and then we started arguing…'

'And then you started punching each other, huh?'

'Yeah… I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking.'

'Oh, I know you weren't thinking. Who does that?'

Chad looked down. 'I'm sorry…'

'What did Derrick say?' I asked dad. He looked at me. He must have forgotten Tony and I were still there.

'He didn't say much either… Danforth, I'm gonna try my best to stand up for you, even though you're not really helping me. I just hope you had a good reason to deal with Martin like that.' Dad got up and looked down. 'I'm gonna talk to your mother today, I will need her to come to school, is that okay?'

'Yeah…' Chad said quietly.

'Okay. Go get your stuff now.'

Chad got up and left the office in silence.

When we got home, my dad went over to Chad's house to talk to his mother. He told her what happened and that she had to come to school the next day to face Derrick's parents. Ms Rossi was upset; she couldn't believe that Chad got into a fight. To be honest, everyone was shocked. Chad wasn't one of those guys who got into fights easily. No matter how hard one tried, one could merely provoke him. That's why all of us knew that whatever Derrick told him, it must have been really bad and probably personal.

The next day at school everyone was talking about what happened between the guys. One of the guys from the team must have blabbed out that I was there, because everyone kept gossiping that I was a part of it. Again, just like with the Chad-Maya thing, I was involved for no reason.

We, meaning Gaby, Troy and I were sitting in front of the school, waiting for Chad. He was still in the principal's office, together with his mother, Derrick, his parents and my dad.

'What do you think is happening?' Troy asked.

'I don't know' Gaby answered. 'Probably they are just talking… accusing Chad.'

'It's not his fault though' I said.

Gaby sighed. 'I know… It's so unfair. Everyone thinks Chad is the bad guy.'

'Well, he did attack Derrick… and he doesn't wanna say why' Troy pointed out.

'Danforth is not like that' someone said. We all turned around and saw Tony. 'He wouldn't hit anyone for no reason.'

'Did he tell you what happened?' I asked.

Tony shrugged. 'Nope. He didn't wanna.'

'From what I heard Derrick didn't want to say anything either' Troy said.

Tony walked up to us. 'No wonder. He's guilty, he's obviously not gonna say shit.'

'What about the guys that were in the locker room?' I asked.

'Two of them are Derrick's friends so they are not gonna say anything. The rest of the guys didn't hear what they were talking about, they just saw them fight' Tony answered. I sighed.

'If Chad only said what Derrick said to him, everything would be different…' I said.

'True that' Gaby agreed.

Finally, the entrance door opened. We saw Derrick walking out with his parents. We all avoided eye contact. When he passed by, he looked down at his feet. We all pretended we did not see him, except for Tony. I swear, if I didn't grab his arm, he'd go after Derrick. Even if his parents were there.

'Calm down' I told him. He just shook my hand off.

A moment later we saw Chad walking out with his mother. He had his hands in his pockets and he was listening to his mom talk. He had his head down. They stopped about 30ft away from us. Chad looked at us and he waved his hand.

'Do you understand?' his mother asked.

'Yeah, I do' he replied.

'I need to go back to work now. On my way there I can drop you off at home.'

'No, it's fine. I'll stay with them… can I?' he looked at her. She looked at us and then back at him. She sighed.

'Yes, you can. Just don't stay too long. I want you home when I come back from work, is that clear?'

'Yes ma'am.'

'Good. Your father's plane lands in 30 minutes, I don't want him waiting in front of the locked door.'

'Okay, I'll be there on time.'

'Good. I'll see you at home' she said. She did something, something in between patting and rubbing his back and she headed over to her car. Chad watched her walk away as he slowly walked up to us.

'Hey' he said quietly. We all replied in the same tone. He seemed depressed and none of us wanted to jump on him with questions… except Tony of course.

'So what happened?' he asked.

'Nothing' Chad answered. 'Long story short, they suspended me from the team.'

'What?' we all asked at once. It was a big shock. We couldn't imagine Chad off the team.

'Don't worry, it's temporary' Chad explained. We made some space for him on the bench and he sat in between me and Gaby.

'For how long?' Troy asked.

'Till either of us says why we got in a fight' Chad replied and looked down.

'Okay, then just go there and tell them what Derrick said' Tony suggested.

'I won't!' Chad bit his lower lip, which was still swollen. 'I wanna give that bastard a chance to admit to what he said.'

'Man, you know he'd never to that!' Tony cried. 'He's a freaking coward! You're just doing him a favor by staying quiet.'

'Tony's right' I said. 'You should tell.'

'You don't understand. I don't wanna repeat what he said.'

'Well man, then they will just keep you suspended from the fucking team. And I know and you know and Troy knows and the girls know and everybody knows the team needs you' Tony said. He was clearly irritated by Chad's attitude.

Chad was silent. He kept looking down at the ground.

'What about Derrick, how did they punish him?' Gaby asked.

'They suspended him too' Chad replied.

'Oh please!' Troy whined. 'That's not a punishment for him! He's not as engaged in the team as Chad is. Martin's there only for the girls' he explained. I looked down. Wow, where was my brain when I dated that guy?

Tony was getting more irritated with every minute. 'Wait, and my father allowed this?' he asked Chad.

'He did try to fight for me… He said the team needed me the most, but the principal didn't want to listen to that' Chad said.

'Man, this is bullshit!' Tony exclaimed and kicked his bag. Even though no one said anything, we agreed with him. 'You know what, fuck this. I'm getting out of here.' He walked up to his bag and picked it up.

'Where are you going?' I asked him.

'Meet my friends. I'll be home on time, no need to cover up for me.' He put his bag on and walked up to Chad. 'Don't worry man, we'll get you out of this.' He messed his hair up and walked away.

'Tony's right man. Everything will be fine' Troy said and got up. 'You'll see.'

'Yeah, I guess' Chad said quietly. He was still looking at the ground.

'Don't worry' Gaby said and she rubbed his back. So far everyone was comforting him except for me.

Troy and Gaby looked at me. I guessed it was my turn to say something, but I didn't want to. Instead I pretended I had no idea what they wanted me to do. However, Gaby had another plan.

'Look at the time!' she said while looking at her watch. 'Troy and I better get going. He needs to be home before dinner and he promised to walk me home.'

'Really?' Troy asked. He seemed confused. Gaby gave him "a look".

'Yeah, don't you remember?'

'Um…' he stuttered. He looked at her puzzled, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. He finally got it. 'Oh yeah! I did! Now I remember. Yeah, let's go.'

'Okay then' Gaby said and she got up. 'Bye guys.'

They walked away. I was watching them and I saw Gaby punch Troy on the arm. I smiled to myself.

'What was that all about?' Chad asked. He looked up at me.

'I don't know… They are just weird' I said and I looked at him. I noticed blood soaked through the band aid on his brow. 'You're bleeding. Lean back.' I put my hand on his chest and I pushed him back so that his back was touching the backrest. He gave me a funny look.

'Am I really?' he asked and he reached to his band aid. I slapped his hand.

'Don't touch it! You'll make it worse.'

'It was dry yesterday…'

'Yeah, well you were leaning forward and that's why. Just stay like this.'

'Okay… Hey, do you also think I did a wrong thing? You know, for not telling your dad and the principal what Derrick said?' he asked and looked at me. I sighed.

'I don't think you did the wrong thing, but you should tell them what happened. After all, you're the only one who is actually getting punished and that's not fair, because it's not your fault.'

'I guess you're right.'

'Oh no, Chad. You can't guess, because I'm always right' I said and smiled. He laughed.

'Oh yeah, how could I forget?'

'Anyways, what could Derrick say to make you blow up like that?' I asked. He looked away.

'You don't wanna know…'

'Well maybe if you don't wanna tell my dad or the principal, I thought it would be easier if you told me?'

'Oh, that wouldn't make it any easier, trust me…'

'Okay then… But you gotta do something about it. The team needs you.'

'The team is fine…' he said and looked at me.

'No it's not. And if they lose the championship, Derrick won't be your only trouble' I said jokingly. He smiled.

'Oh really?'

'Yeah, you'll have me on your back' I said and smiled. He chuckled.

'You need to find other ways to scare me, because I wouldn't mind having you on my back' he said and looked into my eyes. I blushed and looked away. He chuckled again and looked at the school.

'If your team loses, I'll punch you' I said without looking at him.

'And what happens if we win?' he asked and looked at me. I looked back at him.

'I don't know, what do you want me to do?'

'Hmmm, let's see… I can have you do anything?' he asked. He had a silly smile on his face.

'Something doable' I said.

'Right… Hmmm, if I had Taylor McKessie as my slave, what would be the one thing I'd make her do…?' He pretended to be thinking. I hit him on the arm.

'Get serious!' I said and he laughed.

'Okay, okay! I'm just kidding. By the way, punching me is your prize if you win the bet! It's unfair if you hit me now!'

'Trust me, that hit was nothing compared to me punching you' I said in a sweet voice. He laughed again.

'Alright. If my team wins the championship, therefore I win this bet… I want a kiss. A kiss from you.'

My heart stopped for a second. I was shocked and I had no idea how to respond. As much as I wanted to start blushing again, I decided to stop myself and pretend like I didn't care much.

'Really? You could have me do anything, and you choose that?' I asked with fake disbelief. He smiled.

'Yeah. It's because that's that one thing I'll never have you do. Seriously, would ever you kiss me if you didn't have to?' he asked. Again, I had to pretend like I didn't care. I acted like I was thinking about it.

'No, I wouldn't' I replied. Back then I wasn't quite sure, but today I know I lied.

'See? And if I can get Taylor McKessie to kiss me, I can do anything' he said and smiled. Poor thing, thought I'd never kiss him. Boy, was he wrong.

'Alright then. If you win, you get a kiss… But if you lose, I get to punch you' I summarized.

'Deal?' he asked and pulled his hand out. I looked at his hand and then at him.

'Deal' I said and firmly shook his hand. When we let our hands go, we both looked in different directions. Also, we both had these huge smiles on our faces.

I kept staring at the parking lot and thinking about what just happened. Chad Danforth just told me he wanted me to kiss him and I couldn't help, but smile. There was something between us and it wasn't that we liked each other or anything. We were just able to sit there, after he told me that, like nothing happened. Zero awkwardness. I wasn't sure whether he wanted the kiss because he liked me or just because he wanted me to do what he told me to, but either way I didn't mind.

My daydreaming was interrupted by someone walking towards us. That someone wasn't just a random person, it was someone we both knew. At first I couldn't recognize who it was, but as he was approaching us, my memory became clearer.

'Chad, is… is that your dad?' I asked. He turned his head in the direction of the parking lot and looked at the man. He smiled.

'Yeah, that's him!' he replied and got up. The man laughed as soon as he saw that we noticed him.

'There is no surprising you, is there?' he asked. Chad walked up to him and hugged him.

'What are you doing here?' he asked after pulling away. Mr. Danforth laughed.

'Hello to you too, son. Nice to see you too, son. I'm great, thanks for asking' he said jokingly. I have to tell you, I was looking at them and the resemblance between those two was scary… in a good way.

'Sorry, just… mom said your plane was landing like right now. I thought that by the time you get from the airport I'd be home' Chad explained.

'Right now? I told your mother I'd be landing at 2:30, not 3:30… She must have mixed it up.'

'I guess…'

'Your mother's busy all the time, can't blame her for making a small mistake' Mr. Danforth said and smiled.

'Yeah… Good thing Taylor and I sat here for a while. Normally we'd be home right now… you wouldn't find me here.'

'Taylor?' Chad's father asked. He finally noticed me standing on the side. He walked up to me and looked at me carefully. 'Taylor? Taylor McKessie?'

'Yes sir' I replied politely. He raised his eyebrows.

'Taylor, for God's sake, you changed so much. I swear I'd never recognize you. Last time I saw you was… what, 5 years ago? You two were 11 then. Your parents invited us for dinner. I remember Chad and your brother were chasing you around with water guns… Remember that?'

'Yeah' Chad and I replied. Mr. Danforth smiled.

'These two didn't change a bit, but you from a little girl grew into a young, beautiful woman' he said and smiled. I blushed a little.

'Thank you' I said quietly.

'Come on kids, I'll drive you home!' Mr. Danforth said. We walked up to his car and got in. Chad and I sat in the back.

'Nice car dad' Chad said and looked around. It was a SUV, quite spacious.

'Yeah, well apparently at the airport they had nothin' else. I think they lied to me just to get me to rent this one. A bit pricey, however it's comfortable.'

'It's fine… though I like your car more' Chad admitted and smiled.

'Thank you. Now, are you going to tell me what's up with the band aid?' Mr. Danforth asked as he started the car. Chad looked down.

'I got in a fight…'

'That much I know, your mother told me. But why?'

'Because that one guy is a dickhead…'

'Chad! Watch your language! Especially when you're around a lady!'

'Sorry' Chad said and looked at me. I smiled.

'It's okay' I replied.

'They also suspended me from the team today' Chad continued. 'I broke the guy's nose.'

Mr. Danforth raised his eyebrows. 'And why would you do that, son?'

'Because of something he said dad. And it was bad and that's why I had to hit him.'

'I hope you had a good reason to break his nose though.'

'Don't worry, I did…' Chad said and looked out of the window. When we stopped at red light, Mr. Danforth looked at Chad through the mirror. You see, Chad's parents were completely opposite people. His mother was strict and serious, while his dad was funny, laid back and full of understanding. He saw that the topic made Chad sad and decided to change it.

'Anyways, how was school today? I heard you improved your grades Chad.'

'Yeah, I did, only because Taylor agreed to help me out. Without her help I wouldn't be able to do it' he said and looked at me. I smiled and looked away. I had enough of all that eye contact for one day.

'Really? And how is he doing Taylor?' Mr. Danforth asked.

'He's actually doing a lot better than before… He's just really lazy' I replied. Mr. Danforth chuckled.

'Oh, tell me something I don't know.'

'Wow, thanks dad!' Chad said and we all laughed.

We stopped in front of Chad's house. I thanked Chad's dad for giving me a ride and I went home. I had a lot of thinking to do.

Taylor M.

* * *

><p>Yay! So thatw as the 13th Chapter! I hope you guys liked it! :)<p>

I know it was a bit long, but I hope no one fell asleep while reading! ;)

Feel free to review! I'd love to know what you guys think!

~TheCreativePenguinLover

P.S. I will be moving at the beginning of next week, so I'm not sure whether I will be able to update next weekend, since we have no Internet there... BUT I'll try my best to fine a way to update. :)


	14. Chapter 14

A week passed since the Chad-Derrick incident. Both of them were still suspended from the team. As we all predicted, Derrick didn't care much about that. Chad, on the other hand, was pretty miserable for the past few days. He could still play basketball with the guys after school, but one could tell he missed being in the team a lot. I advised him to look at the bright side, because he could use all the free time and study a bit harder, but that did not cheer him up. He pretended to be okay, but I knew he missed playing with the guys at school.

I was in the living room with my parents and Tony; Destiny was out. We were watching TV in silence. My dad was still mad at the principal for punishing Chad in that way. The whole week he didn't speak much to any of us and we knew better than going into dad's way, so we just adjusted to his mood. My mom told us not to, in anyway, irritate dad, especially in the situation like this. I had nothing to worry about; she was mostly talking to Destiny and Tony. Fortunately, we all managed to stay out of dad's face just to prevent him from suddenly blowing up and making our lives hell. So yeah, we were in the living room, watching the TV in silence. Tony and I didn't dare to say anything, except for one syllable words when mom asked us something. My dad wasn't taking his eyes off the TV. He was sitting in his armchair with the look that did not leave his face for a week: a mad one. Mom, Tony and I were sitting on the couch. Tony had his legs up and he was leaning on me, but as much as that irritated me I couldn't say anything, because we would get in a fight and that would set my dad's anger off. We quietly pushed each other for a moment until we were both comfortable.

The dead silence was interrupted by the doorbell. My father quickly looked at the door and we looked at him. He was milliseconds away from screaming his guts out and telling either me or Tony to open the door, however my mom reacted on time.

'I'll get it' she said. Dad looked at her and nodded his head. He relaxed and looked back at the TV. I looked at Tony. He let the air out of his nose silently and mouthed "that was close". I nodded and we both looked at the TV.

My mom got up, walked up to the door and opened it. 'Chad? Come in. What are you doing here? It's 9 o'clock.'

'I'm sorry ma'am. I know it's late, but I need to talk to Taylor' he said. I sat up and looked at him. My mom looked at my dad. I wanted to get up and walk up to Chad, but I remembered that wouldn't be the best idea. I gave dad a questioning look.

'Make it fast' he said and looked back at the TV. I got up and walked up to Chad.

'What?' I asked.

'I need to talk to you' he replied. I looked at my mom.

'I'll leave you guys alone' she said. She smiled and walked back to the living room.

'What's up?' I whispered to Chad. He looked at my family. I figured out that the hall wasn't the best place for late evening chats with Chad. 'Right. Come.'

I lead him to the kitchen. I realized they would hear us from there too, so I opened the sliding doors that lead from the dining room to our back yard. Once we were outside, I closed the door.

'So, can we talk here?' I asked.

'Sure, I guess… I don't want anyone to hear' he said quietly.

'Okay, then here's perfect. What do you wanna talk about?'

'I don't know how to start…' he said and he put his hands in his pockets.

'Okay, then I'll start' I said and smiled. I sat down on the bench swing. 'How's life?'

Chad smiled and sat next to me. 'Not bad, quite good actually, thank you.'

'When did your dad leave?'

'Yesterday… For the first time ever he was staying over at our place instead of a hotel… and can you believe my parents spent five days in one house without fighting?'

'Really? Wow, that can't be bad.'

'Well, it's not bad. It's rather scary…'

I laughed. 'Oh come on! Maybe they finally decided to bury the hatchet?'

'I guess… I'm worrying about my mom though. She used to scream at dad over the phone, especially when he was going to visit us… Yesterday, when she served breakfast, there was enough for him too.'

I laughed again. 'Is that something… extraordinary?'

'Very! I don't know what's happening, but it's all very fishy. And she even called him Mike! Since I was born she called him Michael only! With a mad accent on the M!'

I was trying to catch my breath. 'Maybe… maybe they are okay now.'

'I guess…' he said and smiled. 'She let him visit us for the first time in five years. Something must be up. Some dark, dark forces are involved' he added and I continued laughing. 'I see you're having a good time listening to my family problems, huh?'

'I'm sorry' I said and cleared my throat. 'It's just the way you're talking about them… It's funny, I'm sorry.'

'It's okay, I don't blame you for laughing. It's some black comedy if you ask me. They might be funny to watch, but awful to live with.'

'Awww, poor thing' I said and pet his head. 'But it all seems to be getting better, doesn't it?'

'Yeah, it does… It creeps me out though' he said and I laughed again. 'Enough about me, you're about to get a heart attack from all that laughing.'

I got serious and smiled. 'I'm sorry.'

He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. 'Yeah right.'

'I'm serious! I'm sorry' I said. I smiled like an angel. He chuckled.

'It's alright, I forgive you.'

'Good. Now can you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?'

'Umm… yeah, about that… I really have no idea how to start.'

'Start at the beginning' I said. He sighed.

'Right… Okay, look. I talked to my dad about the whole Derrick thing. I told him everything, even why I hit Derrick… My dad said that he deserved to get hit. He told me to give up and tell the truth, because being off the team made me go crazy.'

'So, are you gonna tell?'

'Yeah… My dad said I need to talk to you first though.'

'Me? Why? What do I have to do with all that?'

'More than you think…' he said and looked down. I was surprised to hear that.

'Keep talking…'

'Okay, okay… But first I gotta ask you something… an awkward question.'

'Go ahead.'

'When you dated Derrick… Did you maybe…? Did you guys maybe… you know… hit "the third base"?' he asked. I was shocked.

'What? No! Of course not! What the hell?'

'Well, that's what Derrick was telling his friends about in the changing room… He also mentioned… umm… the "homerun".'

'Are you serious?!' I asked. God, was I pissed. I couldn't believe he'd do something like that.

'Yeah, I swear… otherwise I wouldn't hit him.'

At once I stopped being mad. It hit me. Chad stood up for me. He hit Derrick because he was spreading rumors about me. He broke a guy's nose, because he heard him say something bad about me. He risked being expelled from school, because he stood up for me. I smiled.

'You… you stood up for me' I said quietly.

'Of course I did… I mean, you're my friend. I don't want guys talking shit about you' he replied. He was still looking down. He clearly felt bad for mentioning those disgusting things in front of me, but he knew it was necessary. I realized what a sweetheart he really was. I kept smiling.

'Thank you' I said. I hesitated for a moment, but I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The second my lips touched his soft skin, my heart started racing. I pulled away and looked at the tree that was in front of us. I had the goofiest smile on my face.

He was surprised. He raised his eyebrows and looked at me. When I realized he was staring at me with a puzzled look on his face, I turned my head to him. Our eyes met. We looked at each other in silence. Finally he smiled. I giggled and I looked away.

'Anyways… ummm…' he said and chuckled. He scratched the back of his head. Wow, he was blushing like a little girl.

'Yeah?' I asked. We were both still smiling like idiots but not looking at each other.

'At least now we know why everyone was giving you those looks.'

'True. God, he must have told the whole school…' I said and stopped smiling. 'I'm ruined forever.'

'Hey, that's not true! Nothing happened between you, he lied!'

'Yeah, but no one else besides us and him knows that' I said and looked down. Chad sighed.

'Don't worry, we'll find a way…'

'Hopefully… You know, that's why I broke up with him.'

'What do you mean?'

'He wanted me to go all the way, but I didn't want to. He was being a douche about it, so I dumped him.'

'You did the right thing.'

'I know… God, I had no idea he'd get so mad and spread rumors about me.'

We heard the sliding door open and looked up. It was Tony.

'What are you guys talking about?' he asked. I laughed.

'Dad sent you?'

'Yeah. Man, thank God he did. I needed to get out of there before he ripped my face off for breathing too loud.'

'What's up with your dad?' Chad asked.

'He's mad because the principal put you off the team' I explained.

'Yeah. Man, you better clear up the whole Derrick thing before he kills us all' Tony said and he sat in between us.

'Don't worry, I already did' Chad said and he looked at me.

'Really?' Tony asked. I nodded.

'Yeah. He told me what Derrick said.'

'What he say then?'

'Well, Derrick went around the whole school spreading rumors about me… He said that he and I hooked up.'

'What?' Tony asked. 'What do you mean hook up?'

'I mean like going waaaay past the "third base".'

Tony's jaw dropped. He balled his fists and got up.

'I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!' he yelled. I was surprised by his reaction. For the first time he behaved like a real older brother.

'Calm down, no one's killing anyone' I said calmly. 'Chad already took care of it. After all, he broke the guy's nose.'

'Yeah, well that was just an appetizer to what he is going to get from me.'

'Okay, you can hit him. I really don't care. To be honest, I sort of feel like punching him too.'

'Then I'll hold him and you'll make sure he never has to visit a dentist again' Tony said and smiled. Chad and I laughed.

'That could be arranged' I said and got up. 'But first I gotta tell dad. Once he knows what Derrick said, he'll bring Chad back to the team and punish Derrick.'

'What are you gonna do about him though? Will you get him back?' Chad asked.

'Don't worry, I'll think of something.' I smiled and walked into the house.

It wasn't easy telling my dad what Derrick said, but I had to do it. My dad got really mad and he promised to talk to the principal first thing in the morning.

My dad did everything he could to get Chad back on the team and make sure Derrick got punished. And guess what, my father succeeded. The guys and their parents were once again invited to school to explain the whole situation, now with all the details. Chad told what he heard Derrick say and Derrick, after a long conversation with his parents, admitted to what he did. The principal said that does not justify Chad breaking his nose, however he let them both rejoin the team. He didn't want them to get away so easily, so he made Chad help in the library after school until the end of the term and Derrick had to help the janitor. Also, he let my dad give Derrick some extra work for the team. Dad made Derrick responsible for the balls on the court and the towels in the showers. I'm sure my dad just wanted to knock him out after what he did to me, but he couldn't do that because of his job, so he decided to torture Derrick in a different way.

Soon everyone at school found out that Derrick lied. He lost the respect of most of the guys on the team, both because he lied and because most were my brother's friends. As you might have already noticed, the gossips spread way too fast in our school. This time though there was a little problem. At first people heard that I have done "it" with Derrick and later they heard that it was a lie. I thought that once everyone knew that, the gossips about me and him would be over, but I was wrong. Most of the people got confused and instead of just understanding that nothing happened, they wanted to go deeper in the subject. By the end of November people were still not sure whether Derrick and I had really "done it", so half of them said it happened and the other half wasn't so sure. It drove me nearly insane, especially because school was really important to me and I couldn't have a reputation of an "easy girl". Friends advised me to try to show everyone that nothing happened. It maybe seemed easy in theory, but I had no idea how to do it. I couldn't simply go up to every single student of East High and tell them that I did not "hook up" with Derrick Martin. I needed to find another way to stop the rumors.

I was sitting in the library with Gabriela when it hit me. Where did all the rumors start? In the guys' changing room. I just needed to go there and make a scene.

'Hey, the guys are having a practice now, right?' I asked.

'Yeah, I think' Gaby replied and looked at her watch. 'They should be finished in like 2 minutes.'

'Perfect.' I smiled and got up. She gave me a confused look.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

'You'll see.' I winked and I went out of the library.

While I was walking to the gym I had no plan. I had to do what had to be done a long time ago. I figured I'd come up with something once I get to the guys' lockers.

I sneaked by my dad's office. I saw he was there which meant the guys were done. I took a deep breath and opened the door to the changing room. The guys stopped talking and they all looked at me. They were surprised to see me there. They all were either in their boxers or had towels wrapped around their hips. As much as I enjoying looking at them, that wasn't what I came there for. I looked through all their faces (and abs) and I stopped at Tony.

'Taylor, what are you doing here?!' he asked.

'Nothing. I'm just looking for Derrick' I said. He gave me a confused look.

'Ayo Martin! Come here!' he called. Derrick showed up. He walked up to Tony and he was about to ask what's up, but he saw me. He froze.

'Taylor?' he asked.

'Oh look, you remember my name!' I said sarcastically. Some of the guys chuckled.

'What do you want?'

'I want to talk about the rumors. The ones right now.'

'I'm not spreading them.'

'Well of course you aren't. I personally doubt anyone would believe you after you lied' I said. The guys laughed. They laughed at him. Yes, I had Derrick right where I wanted him. In front of his team mates who still teased him for lying about "doing it" with me.

'Whatever' he said and looked away. He didn't like me bringing that up, but I wasn't done yet.

'You know, maybe you were right. Maybe if I did what you wanted me to do, none of this would be happening.'

He looked at me. The eyes of everyone in the room were on me. They were all surprised to hear me say that. Don't worry though, there was a twist.

'Too bad I choke on small objects' I said shortly and left the locker room. The guys got the joke, because I heard them laugh. Really loud. I closed the door and I stood there for a moment, smiling to myself.

'Oh man, she told you!' I heard someone say.

'She's good!' someone else said.

'Small objects!' someone repeated and the guys laughed even harder. I have succeeded big time.

My dad came out of his office. He stopped in the hall and looked at me.

'Taylor? What are you doing here? And what's going on in there?' he asked. I smiled and walked up to him.

'It was payback time dad' I said and I made my way back to the library.

I entered the library with a triumphal smile on my face. I wasn't sure if what I just did was going to stop the rumors, but I was happy because I managed to humiliate Derrick in front of the guys. Now all I could do was sit and wait for the outcome.

'Where were you?' Gaby asked. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her.

'Just went to take care of something. Don't worry about it' I said and smiled.

'Taylor' she said and looked at me seriously. 'What did you do?'

'Nothing. Are you done with your homework?'

'Yeah…'

'Then let's get out of here.' We picked up our books and left the library.

We stopped in front of the school, because Gaby promised Troy she'd wait for him. We sat down on our favorite bench, from where we could clearly see the entrance and the whole school yard, and talked.

'Yesterday Troy and I went to the beach' Gaby said.

'What did you guys do there?' I asked, even though I had no interest in what they did in their free time. Since the break up with Derrick, couples made me sick. But no matter how much it sickened me, Gaby was my best friend and I had to listen to her stories of what a great boyfriend Troy was.

'Oh, nothing really… Talked, made out' she said and smiled. I giggled.

'Of course… Do you guys ever do anything else besides making out?'

'Yeah, well we talk… but we always end up making out' she admitted, which made me laugh.

'You two are crazy. How can people be in a relationship and barely talk?'

'We do talk a lot, really. He's the only person I can tell anything… besides you of course. There are some things that only you can understand' she said. I smiled and hugged her.

'Awww, stop it you!' I said and she laughed. I pulled away. 'I'm glad you can talk to your boyfriend. Sometimes I won't be there and I want you to have someone you can trust.'

'I know and I trust Troy a lot… Could you talk to Derrick?' she asked. I gave her a confused look.

'Well… ummm… you know…' I said. I tried not to sound sad, but that didn't work out. Gaby started worrying.

'I'm sooo sorry Tay, I didn't think… I shouldn't have…' she stuttered, but I cut her off.

'No, it's fine. And no, I couldn't talk to Derrick about my problems… Maybe it was because we didn't know each other good enough… But I think that even if we dated for years, I still wouldn't be able to tell him my secrets. He's not that type of person, you know… the type of person that would listen' I explained and looked down.

'But do you have someone who would listen… you know, except for me?'

'Yeah, my sister and…' I stopped talking. I realized what I was about to say and that surprised me.

'And..?' Gaby asked. I looked up at her and hesitated to answer.

'And… You'll make fun of me.'

'Tay, of course I won't'!' she said. 'Why would I make fun of you?'

'I don't know… It's just that… My other person… I don't know, it's weird.'

'Okay, just tell me. Then we will decide whether it's weird or no.'

'My other person… is Chad' I said quietly. Gaby had a surprised look on her face.

'Really?' she asked.

'Yeah… It's weird though. We don't really tell each other secrets or anything, but… I'm able to talk to him as easily as I'm talking to you right now. Maybe it's because we've known each other since ever… He told me when Maya dumped him and I comforted him. He told me a lot about his family, I told him a lot about mine. He told me about his parents, I told him about my fights with Tony and Des… He even punched a guy in the face because of me… I was one of the first people who knew the reason… I don't know, I just feel that we have that special connection… That I can be honest with him and he won't judge me.'

Gaby smiled. 'I know, I understand.'

'And I know what you're thinking, but it's not because he likes me… I think that the both of us need a person we could talk to… without any obligations. You know, just talking.'

'I know' she said. 'And I still think he likes you, but that has nothing to do with you two talking.'

I laughed. 'You need to stop repeating that.'

'What? That he likes you?' she asked and I nodded. 'Why?'

'Because… I think you blabbed it all out.'

She laughed. 'What do you mean?'

'Well… ughh… The other time, when I talked to him… We made a bet about the championship. I said that if they lose, I get to punch Chad… But he said that if they win, he wants me to… ummm… Kiss him.'

Gaby gave me a shocked look. 'And what did you say…?'

'I agreed…'

'You know they're gonna win, right?'

'Yeah, I realized… Ugh, why is this happening?' I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them. I hid my face in between my knees and Gaby laughed.

'I hate to do this, but…' She got up and started jumping and pointing at me. 'I TOLD YOU! I knew it! I told you! I toooold youuuu!'

'I hate you' I mumbled and stayed in the same position as before. She laughed again.

'Do you like him?' she asked me. I was silent for a moment. I thought about it.

'I don't… I don't… I don't know…' I said and lifted my head up. She smiled and sat next to me.

'Tay, look… It's okay. I'm not making fun of you, I'm happy for you.'

'Why? It's not like he officially said he likes me.'

'Nooo, he just expressed his desire of kissing you. That's totally different' she said sarcastically. I looked at her.

'Stop that, I'm supposed to be the sarcastic one' I said coldly and rested my chin on my knee. I looked at the school and sighed. Gaby put her arm around me she rested her head on my head.

'You're making it sound like it's something bad… What if he really likes you?' she asked.

'I don't know… But it's Chad. That's weird. He was always like brother to me… an annoying one, but still. And now, it's all changing… It's really weird.'

'Can't you get used to it?'

'I guess I could… which doesn't make it any less creepy.'

Gaby laughed and I smiled. The idea of Chad liking me really scared me, but I could do nothing about it. I was hoping Gaby wasn't right. I hoped that that whole "him-acting-strange" thing is just a phase and it would go away. All I could do was to go on with my life and make sure I don't do things that could make Chad like me even more.

I still had my legs curled up, because it made me feel warm. It was a chilly, dark November afternoon. All the trees already lost their leaves, which were dancing around in the center of the yard, powered by the wind. They caught my attention as I was drifting away in my thoughts.

'It's getting cold, huh?' Gaby asked. She lifted her head up and she rubbed her arms.

'Yeah, it is…' I replied.

'Hoodies are not enough anymore, tomorrow I need to wear a jacket or something… Ugh, I hate winter.'

'It's not winter yet. Winter starts on the 21st of December. It's still fall' I said. I was still staring at the leaves.

'Sorry' Gaby said and laughed. 'My bad.'

'It's okay…' I replied blankly.

'Where are the guys? We've been waiting for like 20 minutes already.'

The second she mentioned the boys I smiled. I remembered that about 20 minutes ago I embarrassed Derrick in front of the whole team. The pride instantly made me feel better… and warmer.

A moment later the door opened and all the Wildcats rushed out of the building. They were laughing and pushing each other around, like boys do. I looked up and saw The Trio (Tony, Chad and Troy) walking towards us.

'Finally!' Gaby she called. 'We've been waiting forever!'

'Sorry Gabs' Troy said as soon as they walked up to us. 'We were stopped on our way out of the changing room.'

'Why?' she asked. Tony laughed.

'We were too busy mocking Martin!' he explained.

'Why would you guys do that?' Gaby asked. She was confused.

'It's simple' Chad said. 'We had to finish what Taylor started.'

The guys laughed and Gaby gave me a questioning look.

'What? Didn't you tell her?' Tony asked. I shook my head. 'Oh come on! That's probably the greatest thing you ever did! Everyone needs to know.'

'What are they talking about, Tay?' Gaby asked. I sighed.

'Oh, it's nothing…'

'Nothing?' Chad asked and laughed. 'She basically just went into the locker room and told everyone Derrick had a small… "junk".'

Gaby gasped and looked at me. 'Did you really do that?'

'Not really… I just went in there and said that we would have hit the "third base"… if I didn't choke on small objects.'

The guys started laughing again. Gaby smiled.

'You really told him that? In front of everyone?' she asked. I nodded and she laughed.

'You should have seen his face!' Tony said while laughing.

'Yeah, he just stood there all like…' Troy said and made a stupid face. They guys laughed even harder.

'Yeah!' Chad said and he tried to calm himself. 'No one from the team will ever forget that, that was just amazing Tay!'

The four of them continued laughing while I just sat there and smiled. Yes, what I did was indeed a big victory for me.

'Damn sis, people will treat you a lot better now… after what you did to Martin' Tony pointed out once they all calmed down.

'I don't care for that. All I want is to lose the disgraceful reputation I gained thanks to the rumors he spread' I said seriously.

'Well don't worry, after that no one will ever want to mess with you' Chad said and smiled.

'Yeah, he's right' Tony admitted. 'Finally I'm not ashamed to tell people we're related.'

He smiled meanly, but I gave him an irritated look.

'Shut up' I said shortly and got up. 'I'm cold, let's go home guys.'

We all said our goodbyes and Troy and Gaby went home while we headed the other direction.  
>Tony and Chad were still laughing about what I told Derrick. They said that probably by tomorrow everyone would know about it and the rumors about me would stop. On the other hand, the rumors about Derrick's "junk" would start because of me. I don't know why, but I started feeling a bit guilty.<p>

'Man, Martin is ruined for life. Lying about having sex with a girl is real embarrassing, but a girl telling you you have a small "wee wee" is even worse' Tony said and laughed.

'That's true… Wow Taylor, you actually found a way to get him back' Chad said and looked at me.

'Uh huh…' I replied and looked down at my feet.

'You alright?' he asked.

Before I got a chance to answer, a group of older teenagers in a convertible pulled up next to us. We stopped walking and looked at them.

'Ayo Tony! You need a ride man?' the driver asked. He was about my brother's age, maybe a bit older.

'Nah man, I'm fine' Tony answered.

'You sure? We're going to the park to hang out… shoot some hoops… You know, the usual. You wanna come?'

'Actually, you know what man… Sure!' Tony said and looked at us. 'See ya later losers!'

He ran up to their car and hopped inside.

'Hay Chad' one of the girls said. 'You wanna come too?'

I looked down. I was 100% sure he'd ditch me too, but…

'Umm… I'd love to' he said. 'But I can't. I got homework to do.'

'Ohh, come on man! Who cares about that?' the driver guy asked. Chad looked at me and then back at him.

'Sorry dude, I really need to go do it… They'll kick me out of the team.'

'That blows man. I'll see ya around!'

'Yeah' the girl said. 'Bye Chad!'

'See ya' he replied and they drove away. I looked at him.

'You could have gone with them' I said.

'Nah, I didn't feel like it…'

'Yeah, because you felt sorry for me?'

'No, no… I just didn't want to leave you here, I'm not like that' he said and smiled. I looked away.

'Do you hang out with them?' I asked once we started walking again.

He shrugged. 'A few times… Tony introduced me… They're not that bad.'

'But they are Tony's friends… and he only hangs out with d-bags.'

Chad laughed. 'Yeah, well they are not that bad…'

'The girl seemed to like you' I said. He smiled and looked at me.

'Jealous much?' he asked jokingly. I tried not to smile.

'Yes, of course' I said sarcastically. 'How old was she anyways?'

'I don't know, like 19 or something… Way too old for me.'

'Right…'

He laughed. 'Come on! She's just nice to me… like the rest of them. I don't know, I guess they think I'm cool… I'm not gonna investigate why, I don't need trouble.'

'True, that would probably lead to problems…'

'Yeah... Anyways, did you understand the Math thing today?'

'Yeah… did you?'

'Not a single thing… You know, just when I thought Math couldn't get any harder, they added letters to it' he said in a sad tone. I laughed.

'Well, I agree… Algebra is really demanding, but you need to learn the basics in order to understand it later on. You'll see, I'll show you.'

'Cool.' He smiled and put his hands in his pockets. 'Now that Tony's gone, will you tell me why you don't seem too happy about what you did to Derrick?'

'What?'

'Oh come on, don't try to hide it. I see something is bothering you.'

Chad was one of those people who I could not lie to… Or I could, but that took a lot of effort. He just knew me too well.

I sighed. 'I feel bad.'

'For what?'

'For humiliating him…'

'Why? He did something even worse to you! Now you're even.'

'I know, but… By doing what I did I'm not any better than him. He was an idiot for spreading rumors… But now the whole school will be discussing the size of his "thing"… because of me.'

'So what?'

'I don't know… I just feel bad.'

'Don't. Would you rather have the whole school making fun of you instead of him?'

'Him I guess… I don't know, Chad, I'm just not like that…'

'I know you're not, but sometimes you need to stand up for yourself… you have to pick between other's good and your own. Sometimes it's good to be selfish… you know, to protect yourself in a way.'

I looked up at him. 'I guess you're right… And wow, that was deep.'

He laughed. 'I had a moment.'

I smiled. 'I'm glad you did, I needed to hear that…'

'Anytime' he said and smiled. We continued walking in silence for a moment. I felt sort of better after I told him that the Derrick thing was bothering me. I felt relieved and I wasn't blaming myself anymore. Chad turned out to be the right person to talk to, as usual. I remembered what Gaby and I talked about earlier today and smiled.

'So, how's the training going?' I asked.

'It's alright… why?' he asked. He was confused, because I rarely asked him about basketball.

'Do you think you're gonna win the championships?' I asked and smiled. He had a puzzled look on his face, but finally understood. I might have asked about the championships, but the truth is that I wanted to know what the odds of me kissing him were. He looked at me and smiled.

'Don't worry, I'll make sure we will' he said and smirked. I giggled.

'Seems like you made it really personal.'

'Oh yeah. A bet is a bet. I can't let you win' he said jokingly. I kept smiling. We were both in the mood for teasing each other a little.

'Why not?' I asked.

'That's simple; I respect girls and I think they should have a fair chance, so I never let them win' he replied. 'Even when I'm sure they will lose.'

'Hey! What makes you think I'll lose the bet?'

'Because I will do anything it takes to win' he said and we stopped in front of my wicket.

'Anything?' I asked and raised an eyebrow. He chuckled and walked up closer to me.

'Yeah. If I have to, I'll practice day and night, 24/7… So get your lips ready.'

I stopped smiling and looked up at his face. He was smirking, because he knew I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. Before I realized it, I was staring at his lips. He got the hint, because he slowly leaned in to kiss me. When I understood what he was about to do, I froze. I felt hot chills going down my spine. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to kiss him, but I wasn't going to stop him anyway. I closed my eyes and waited for it to happen. When our lips were only centimeters away, his cell phone rang. I cleared my throat and looked down. Chad stepped back and reached to his pocket.

'Excuse me' he said and answered the phone. 'Yeah? Yeah, I'm home now. Almost there, mom. Like two steps away. Look out of the window, you'll see me… Really? Sorry, I forgot. Yeah, I'll be there in a second I promise. Okay… Okay… Coming now, bye.' He hung up and looked at me.

'So…?' I asked.

'It was my mom… Look, I know we were supposed to study today, but I forgot that I'm going to dinner with my mom and her boring friends… Can we just move it to tomorrow?'

'Sure, no problem.'

'Cool… I'm sorry… I hope I didn't ruin your plans for today or something.'

'No, no you didn't. It's fine' I said and smiled. He smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head.

'So… I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?' he asked while looking down.

'Yeah, tomorrow.'

'Alright… See ya' he said, smiled and started walking towards his house.

'Bye' I replied and made my way towards the front door.

When I entered my house, I saw Destiny standing in the hall. She had a smile on her face and her arms crossed. I gave her a confused look.

'Umm… Hi?' I said while putting my bag on the floor.

'Finally' was her answer.

'Finally?' I asked. 'Shouldn't you say "I was expecting you" while sitting in a spinning chair and holding a fat, white cat?'

'Ha – ha – ha, very funny' she said sarcastically.

'You should work a bit on your evil laugh, it's not very convincing' I said and walked to the kitchen. Des followed me.

'What was that, over there?' she said while pointing out of the window. 'With the fuzzy guy?'

'His name is Chad' I said shortly and opened the fridge. She gave me a suspicious look.

'Don't you like hate him?'

'I don't hate him. He's just irritating' I explained and took a can of soda out of the fridge.

'So why were you two standing so close to each other then, huh?'

'We were just talking.'

'What is he like, deaf? You need to talk to his ear or something?' she asked. I looked at her. I didn't know how to reply. She smiled. 'Taylor has a boyfriend, Taylor has a boyfriend.'

'Stop!' I said seriously. 'He's _not_ my boyfriend.'

'But you were gonna kiss him, am I right?' she asked.

'Why were you spying on me anyways?' I asked. I wanted to slowly change the topic.

'I wasn't. I was just looking out of the window to check if Jerome was outside, because we are going out in like 15 minutes. I saw you two by accident.'

'Well, not my fault you don't know what you saw' I replied and took a sip of soda.

'Okay, well I saw you two were about to kiss… Do you want to tell me what "really" happened?'

I slowly put the can down. I thought about a good answer. I couldn't lie to her, because she would know I lied. I had to find a way to tell her the truth, but not the whole truth.

'We were talking' I said shortly and ran upstairs. I couldn't take her interrogation anymore.

I put the can on my desk and fell on my bed. I was trying to understand what happened between me and Chad. He was about to kiss me and I, instead of pushing him away like I always thought I would, I just stood there. I was going to let him kiss me, just like that. I was really confused; I had no idea how to interpret my actions. What was happening? Was I starting to like Chad?

Taylor M.

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><p>So yay! I know this was like 2 days late, but I was moving and I had trouble getting Internet connection. But now I have it so I will update weekly.<br>I had trouble with this chapter, that why it's so long hahaha but hopefully you guys found it as amusing as the previous one! Thanks fro all the support, it really means a world to me! :))  
>Feel free to review!<p>

~TheCreativePenguinLover


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry it's a few days late, I had trouble finishing it... I blocked.

BUT there is a lot of Chaylor here so enjoy! :P  
>Fell free to review. :))<p>

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>The days were getting shorter, the nights were getting longer and the weather became colder. Yes, winter came really fast that year. Everyone was in a good mood, because winter meant Christmas and Christmas meant no school. Since I didn't find the second year of high school really challenging, I wasn't looking forward to the winter break as much as everyone else. I admit I did want a break, because I wanted to rest and sleep a bit longer, plus Christmas was a truly magical time of the year, but to be honest I couldn't care less about that back then. One of the things I was looking forward to was a break from Chad.<p>

Since that awkward encounter we had back in November, nothing else like that happened. At first I thought that maybe I was starting to like him a little, but after some deeper thinking I understood that I had no feelings towards him whatsoever. That kiss thing was just a moment, a short second when common sense left my head. I thanked God for making Chad's mother call him at that exact time and interrupting us. If it happened, if we kissed, I'd have no idea what to do. I didn't like him and I was sure he didn't really like me either. It seemed like we travelled to a parallel universe, in which Chad and I were meant to be. We both felt that weird attraction towards each other, but that was just a short moment. The very next day we pretended nothing happened… Or at least I did, I wasn't sure whether Chad even remembered what went on between us.

Another reason I wanted to get out of school for some time was Derrick. Even though we haven't spoken since that memorable moment in the locker room, he didn't leave my mind. He became one of the most disliked people at school. After I humiliated him in front of the whole team, everyone made fun of him, both because he lied and because of what I said to him. He was teased by everyone in school; by the jocks, the cheerleaders, the glee club members and even the "geeks". He really had a hard time and that was all because of me. I was still mad at him for spreading rumors about me, but I felt bad for all the trouble he had. Friends kept telling me he deserved it, but I wasn't so sure about that. I wanted to teach him a lesson, but I knew I went too far.

When school finally ended, I was happy. I got some free time to do whatever I wanted and I could finally get my mind off some problems. My family and I spent Christmas at home. My grandma, my mother's sister, her husband and son visited us. We haven't seen them for a long time, so they stayed at our house for five days. I was forced to share a room with Destiny, while Grandma took my bed. Tony shared his big bed with our 7 year old cousin and our aunt and uncle slept in the living room. It all seemed fair, except for the fact that sleeping in one bed with my sister was a nightmare. A king size bed wasn't enough just for her, so imagine how it was when she had to share it with me. We spent most of the night fighting over which half of bed belongs to whom and how to share one small blanket. No wonder in the morning we would fall asleep waiting for breakfast. My mom laughed at us and told us to try to survive a few more days while dad said we were spoiled and that we should be happy we had a place to sleep.

Since most of my friends were out of town, I was babysitting my little cousin. He wanted to spend time with Tony, but Tony preferred the company of his girlfriend over little Stevie. That's why I gave up on reading and spent more time playing in snow with Stevie. We made 4 snowmen in our yard and we had regular snowball fights. When they were leaving, Stevie hugged me and said that I wasn't as boring as he thought I was. That was probably the meanest, yet the cutest thing any child has ever said to me.

People usually like Christmas, because it means presents, but our family was different. We were never rich and we didn't spent thousands of dollars on presents. Don't get me wrong, we got presents from our parents, but they were usually small, practical things. That's why I was surprised when I opened my gift. When I picked it up, I saw how heavy it was. It was medium sized, rectangular box. I gave my parents a confused look, but they just smiled and told me to open it. I unwrapped it and my jaw dropped when I saw what it was. It was a new laptop. My parents said that I deserved it, because I did really well at school my whole life and because I helped them at home and stuff. I couldn't believe it and neither could my brother nor sister. Tony was shocked, but he did not comment because no matter what he said, he did really badly at school and he knew he didn't deserve a laptop. Destiny however wasn't afraid to show her disappointment.

'How does she get a laptop and I get a purse, huh?' she asked.

'Simply because she's in high school, she needs it for school. Plus her grades are amazing and she really deserves one' my dad replied. 'You, on the other hand, are a 23 year old woman. You have a job, you can afford a laptop.'

'You never gave me presents like that when I was her age!'

'We paid for your college, which gave you an opportunity to get a good job. What else do you want from us?'

Destiny was really mad at Mom and Dad, and at me too of course. She gave me silent treatment, but the worst punishment was that I still had to share a bed with her. Before I lied down, she took the whole blanket and wrapped herself in it. We spent another night fighting over that.

The winter break ended as fast as it started. While my parents and sister were at work, Tony and I were at home getting ready for school the next day. I was packing my school bag, while my brother was dribbling the ball downstairs in the living room. I knew that probably wouldn't end good, but I decided to let him do whatever he wanted. If he broke something, he'd get in trouble. The only problem was that he was really loud and I couldn't focus. I heard the repetitive sound of the ball hitting the ground all the way in my room and it irritated me. I ran out of my room and stopped in the hall.

'Tony, do you mind?' I yelled.

'Yeah' he replied and continued dribbling the ball. I rolled my eyes and ran down the stairs.

'If you break something, Dad will kill you' I said. That caused him to stop and look at me.

'I won't break anything, I'm not 5 years old' he said and continued dribbling the ball.

'The sound is really annoying.'

'Then go back to your room.'

'I can still hear it in my room.'

'Then go sit in your closet, I don't care' he said coldly. He wasn't planning on stopping.

'You were supposed to take the garbage out' I pointed out and he laughed.

'No. One of us was supposed to take the garbage out. Mom wasn't specific, so you'll do it.'

'What? Why me?'

'Because I said so.'

I gave him a mad look, but I didn't feel like fighting with him. I gave up and headed towards the kitchen.

'You're stupid' I said before I walked into the kitchen.

He laughed. 'Yeah, yeah.'

I took the garbage bag out of the bin, tied it and made my way to the hall. I put my shoes and jacket on and went out of the house. I was so angry at Tony, I did not realize someone was watching me.

'Hey Taylor!' someone said when I reached the bin. I lifted my head up and saw Chad walking towards me. Well, he would be walking if his leg wasn't in a cast and if he wasn't using a cane.

'Oh God, what happened to you?' I asked with concern. He smiled weakly and looked down at the leg.

'I went skiing with my parents… I broke my leg.'

'I can see that… how did it happen?'

'Well… I was going downhill on my snowboard and there was a little bump… I jumped up like 5ft in the air and landed in a snowdrift.'

'Wow… Are you okay though? Except for the leg?'

'Yeah, yeah… I had a small concussion or something but I'm fine…' he said and smiled. 'What, are you worrying about me?'

'Well… Yeah. It looks serious' I admitted. I looked down at his left leg. The cast covered his whole foot (except the toes) all the way to around 4 inches above his knee.

'It's not that serious… The doctor said I need to have the cast for maybe 4 or 5 weeks… That's not a big deal.'

'What are you gonna do about trainings?' I asked. He shrugged.

'Nothing. I guess I need to take a break.'

'For a month.'

'I know, but I can't really do anything about that…'

'I know… At least you'll have more time for studying' I said and smiled. He chuckled.

'Yes! Finally!' he faked an excitement. I giggled.

'I'm glad you're happy.'

'I do get to spend more time with you, so I guess I am' he said half jokingly, half seriously. I decided to pretend I was stupid and laughed.

'Of course you are' I said sarcastically. 'How come you went skiing?'

'Well, I went to Italy with my parents to visit my mom's family. It was snowing, so we ended up skiing.'

'Wait, wait… You went with both of your parents?' I asked. From what I knew and heard from Chad, his parents really disliked each other. That's why I was shocked to hear they spent the Christmas break together.

'Yeah… You know what, I think they're getting back together or something…' he said while looking down.

'But Chad, isn't that good?'

'Yeah, I guess… It's just weird. I thought they hated each other and now they shared a house… Well, they shared it with me too but they were there. Both of them! At once!'

'Aren't you happy though?'

'I don't know… It's not official, because they didn't say anything. But knowing them, if they were getting married, I'd be the last one to know.'

I laughed. 'You think that could happen?'

'Maybe… My dad was helping mom up all the time and when either one of them fell they just laughed it off… A few years ago they would get in a big fight or something… They are acting funny.'

'Oh come on, maybe they changed. Maybe they are ready to finally be together' I said to cheer him up, because he didn't seem too happy about the idea of his parents getting back together.

'I don't know… I don't just don't want them to get back together and break up again' he said quietly. I felt bad for him.

'Don't say that.'

'I'm serious. That's what happened last time. They thought they were in love, they had me and then they spent 4 years of my life constantly fighting over smallest things until my mother decided to end it. It was terrible, being in between all that. Mom always blamed dad for not being mature enough, he always said she was a workaholic… Finally my mom took me and moved to a hotel. My parents only saw each other in court… And then we moved here…' he cut off and looked away. He clearly had a hard time talking about that, but he needed to get it off his chest. I looked down and thought of something nice to say.

'Don't worry, that won't happen again' I said. He looked at me.

'How do you know?'

'Because… Because your parents are smart people. They wouldn't make the same mistake twice. If they knew their relationship would fall apart again, they wouldn't even get into it.'

'You think?'

'Yeah, I do' I said and smiled. He looked up and smiled also. His eyes started sparkling again.

'Thanks Tay… Really' he said shyly.

'Hey, no problem. What are friends for, huh?'

He chuckled and he put his arms around me. Before I realized it, we were hugging. I had my arms around his neck and to be honest, it felt good. I once again felt his support and he felt mine. It was just a warm, friendly hug.

'Yo, what the hell?!' someone yelled. We looked at my house and saw Tony standing in the doorway. He had a confused look on his face. 'What the hell is going on?'

Chad and I exchanged looks and pulled away. Before he opened his mouth and started apologizing to Tony, I already had an idea.

'Danforth broke a leg!' I yelled. 'I was angry because he didn't kill himself, so I tried to strangle him. You interrupted, therefore he's still alive. Well done, you saved your friend's life.'

Chad smiled and looked down. I made my way towards the door.

'Are you serious?' Tony asked once I passed by him. I turned to him.

'Maybe' I said. I took my jacket and shoes off and went to my room.

In the second semester Chad still needed my help after school. It seemed he wouldn't work on his grades unless I forced him to. That's why his mother offered me $30 per every afternoon I spent on teaching her son the same things he learned at school for free. Ms Rossi first went to my parents and asked whether they were okay with her paying me for tutoring Chad and of course they said yes. They were proud of me, because I got my first "job". I didn't really think of it as a job, because I'd still tutor Chad no matter if she paid me or no. I don't know why, but I enjoyed doing it. I was happy I could help him.

Once again we were at his house, repeating algebra for the millionth time. He still struggled to understand it, but I was patient. I kept explaining it to him every time he made the same mistake.

'Damn, I'll never get it right!' he said and dropped his head on the table. I rolled my eyes.

'Not with that attitude, that's for sure.'

'None of this makes sense!'

'How doesn't it make sense? You just need to remember that _a_ times _a_ is _a squared_, not _2a_. Also, _2b_ times _a_ is _2ab_. That's it.'

'No, it's not' he said and lifted his head up. 'If it was that easy, I'd understand it.'

'You wouldn't' I said shortly. He gave me a surprised look.

'Why not?' he asked.

'Because you're not even trying to understand it.'

'I am!'

'No, you're not. If you did, you'd focus and you wouldn't be making the same mistake all over again.'

He was about to fight back, but gave up. He leaned back in the chair and looked down.

'You're right, I'm sorry…' he said quietly. I sighed.

'Let's take a break, huh?'

He nodded his head.

'Hey, is everything okay?' I asked.

'Yeah, I guess…'

'You sure? You seem like something is bothering you.'

'Well… Never mind, forget it.'

'Chad, tell me' I said seriously. He looked up at me.

'Umm… Okay, I can be honest with you, right?'

'Of course.'

'Okay, so…. Let's say I have a friend… And like, I kind of…' he was cut off by the sound of the door opening. We looked up and saw his mother walking into the dining room.

'Hello' she said and smiled at us. 'I had no idea that you guys were still studying, I hope I didn't interrupt anything important.'

Chad and I exchanged looks.

'No ma, you didn't…' he said. 'What are you doing home so early?'

'What, you thought you'd get rid of me so easily, huh?' she answered and laughed. 'I had no more clients today, so I got out of work earlier. I stopped by the grocery shop on my way here, I brought the bags in so you don't have to. I don't want you to walk unless you must.'

'Umm… Thanks I guess.'

'It's okay, darling. I don't want you to get hurt' she said and fondly rubbed his head. I giggled and Chad rolled his eyes.

'Yeah mom. You love me… We get it' he said in half irritated, half embarrassed tone. His mother laughed.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I'll go, I don't want to embarrass you anymore. I'm happy to finally see you study' she added and kissed him on the top of his head. She smiled, winked at me and went upstairs. Once she was gone, I giggled.

'What?' he asked.

'Little Chad is a momma's boy' I teased and pinched his cheek. He gave me an annoyed look and I laughed. I let go of his cheek. 'Come on, I'm kidding.'

'Well, it's not funny.'

'Where's your sense of humor?'

'It was killed by this' he said and pointed at his notebook with all the equations. I laughed.

'You mom seems to be in a good mood' I pointed out. He sighed.

'You know something is wrong, when my mom is in a good mood' he said and I laughed again.

'How is that wrong?'

'I don't know, but I'm afraid I'll find out soon… She's never in a good mood. She only has one mood: the bitchy one.'

'What happened to her then?'

'Don't know, maybe she's high.'

I laughed. 'You're crazy.'

'She's acting weird… I mean, have you ever seen her like that?' he asked. I thought about it.

'No, I don't think so…'

'See? It's weird!' he said. I giggled and got up.

'Calm down, nothing is wrong.'

'Where are you going?' he asked.

'Home. We are done for today, I think your brain overheated' I said and started packing my things. He sighed.

'Yeah, yeah… Now you're telling me I'm crazy… but you'll see in a few weeks. This is not going to end well.'

I lifted my bag up and looked at him. 'Goodbye' I said and smiled. He rolled his eyes and I made my way to the hall. He slowly got up and followed me… he jumped on his right leg all the way to the hall.

'You'll see.'

'You're overreacting' I said while putting my jacket on. He leaned against the wall.

'I hope I am… I mean, my mom hardly ever smiles… She's never in a good mood. And now she's like a totally different person.'

'You have to stop worrying.'

Before he got a chance to reply, his mom walked into the hall.

'Worrying about what?' she asked and crossed her arms.

'Nothing, mom' Chad said fast. 'It's just my leg. I'm worrying about my leg.'

'Aww, honey, don't worry. The doctor said everything will be fine' she said and rubbed his cheek. I looked down. I wanted to hide that I was about to burst out laughing.

'Yeah, that's what Taylor just told me… She told me to stop worrying.'

'That's really nice of you, Taylor' she said and smiled at me. 'How come you're leaving already?'

'We are done for today, Chad did all of his homework' I explained.

'Good. And too bad you're leaving, we love having you here, don't we?' she asked and looked at Chad. He rolled his eyes.

'Yeah, we do…' he said and looked down. He was really embarrassed. I smiled.

'Thank you' I replied and zipped up my jacket.

'You're welcome. Now excuse me, I'll go get some ice cream. Do you want some?' she asked Chad.

'Nah, I'm fine.'

'Okay then. Bye Taylor, see you tomorrow.'

'Goodbye, Ms Rossi' I said politely and she went to the kitchen.

'Please, don't leave me with her' Chad begged. I giggled.

'See ya!' I said and left.

February was definitely my least favorite month. It was really cold, there was snow everywhere and when I was waking up, it was still dark outside. It was that type of month which, if I could, I'd spend at home. Unfortunately, I had to get up early in the morning and go to school. To be honest, school was probably the only reason why I was outside… or at least it was the reason why I was out that day.

It was a cold Tuesday afternoon. I was outside doing quite an unusual for me thing… I was practicing shooting. Yes, I was trying to play basketball. You want to know why? In order to have a flawless report at the end of the school year, I needed to have an A from every subject. That also included physical education. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't terrible at sports. My abilities were average, but I didn't suck. I was never really into sports in general and that's probably why I faced some tiny difficulties while playing basketball. It was really embarrassing, especially because my dad was a basketball coach and my brother played ever since he started walking. Even though my knowledge about basketball was strictly theoretical, I decided to practice shooting on my own. I didn't want to ask my dad, because he'd just get mad at me for being really bad. I didn't want to ask my brother either, because he'd just laugh and tell me to leave him alone.

I chose the time when everyone was out of the house, because then I could practice in peace. There was no one who would see me make a fool out of myself while failing at simple shots… Well, at least I thought there wasn't.

I was aiming for the basket, when I heard someone coming. I looked around and saw Chad limping towards the back yard. Limping, because he didn't have his cane with him.

'Hey Tay!' he said. 'I'm looking for Tony, is he home?'

'No. No one's home except me' I replied once he was around 10ft away from me.

'Oh, okay… do you maybe know when he's coming back?' he asked and looked at me. His eyes stopped at the ball and he smiled.

'No, no idea, sorry.'

'Umm… Taylor, is that… a basketball?' He pointed at the ball. I made an innocent face and hid the ball behind my back.

'Maybe' I answered and he chuckled.

'And what were you… _maybe_ doing with it?'

'I just found it here, in the bushes' I replied, but he gave me a 'yeah right' look. I gave up. 'Okay, okay. I was practicing shooting.'

'Why?' he asked and walked up to me. He took the ball out of my hands and looked at it.

'Because I have to, not because I want to.'

'You need help?' he asked and looked at me.

'No, thank you' I said shortly and took the ball away from him.

'Really?' he asked. 'Let me see how you shoot.'

I bit my lips and hesitated for a second. I walked up to the basket and raised the ball up. I was going to shoot, but Chad interrupted me by scoffing.

'What?' I asked.

'Nothing, just… You're holding it wrong.'

'Then if you're so smart, show me how to hold it.'

He smiled, took his jacket off (even though it was freezing cold outside) and limped all the way to me.

'It's easy, but first you need to know how to hold the ball. Let me show ya' he said. He stood behind me, sort of put his arms around me and took my hands in his hands. 'Which is your stronger arm?'

'The right one' I replied quietly.

'Okay, mine too. Now what you do is you out your right hand under the ball and with the left hand you kinda support it.' While he was telling me what to do, he showed me where exactly to put my hands. I just stood there and listened carefully. 'Okay?'

'Yeah.'

'Alright. Now, to shoot you gotta bend your knees a bit… You don't have to jump or anything, but that would make your shot stronger. I can't really bend my knees to show you, but you get what I mean, right?'

'Yeah, I do' I said. I knew exactly what he meant, because I spent most of my life watching people do the exact same thing. Of course I had no idea how to perform a shot myself, but I knew what it was supposed to look like.

'Good. Since we're not in front of the basket, you gotta aim for the board… It's because of the… What's it called?'

'The angle.'

'Right. That. That's what I meant' he said, which made me smile a little. I adored his silliness. 'Okay, so now you gotta focus. The chances you score are like… 90%.'

'Where is the other 10?' I asked. He thought about it.

'The chances actually are like 100%, but if you shoot too hard or don't aim right… then they're little.'

I sighed. 'Then I'll miss for sure.'

'No, come on' he tried to cheer me up. 'You just need to focus on the board.'

His arms were still around me and his hands were still holding my hands. To be honest, it really felt weird, but good. Since the temperature was quite low, I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. I even forgot how cold it was outside.

'You ready?' he asked.

'Yeah, I guess.'

'No, don't guess. Are you ready or not?'

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the board. 'Yes, I'm ready.'

He smiled. 'Good.'

I bent my knees, put my hands firmly on the ball, straightened my knees and threw the ball towards the basket, with Chad's help of course. The ball bounced off the board and fell straight into the basket.

'Yes!' I said in excitement. Chad laughed and let me go.

'Well done Tay' he said.

'Thanks' I said and turned to him. 'For helping me.'

'No problem… So, how many times did you score so far?'

'Well… Together with this shot… Hmmm… One.'

He laughed. 'No way.'

'I swear… I'm really bad at this.'

'No, you're not. You just need to practice a little and you'll be good.'

'I hope so… I have to master this until Friday.'

'Why?'

'We're having sort of a test from this. We have 12 shots, 4 from each side.'

'Oh, don't worry. I'll help you practice' he said and smiled.

'Really?'

'Yeah. I mean, you help me with the rest, I can help you with P.E.'

I smiled and looked down. He was so nice to me, it made me blush a little.

'Hey, try one more time. Just to see if you can do it again.'

'You're right. I will.' I walked up to the ball, picked it up and carried it back to the place from which I shot. 'Right hand under the ball, right?'

'Yes. And the left hand supports it.'

He got closer to me and once again put my hands in the right place. He gave me the permission to shoot, so I did. And guess what, I scored again.

'Yes!' I squealed and jumped up. Chad laughed.

'See? Told you, if you prac-' he said, but I cut him off my hugging him

'Thanks' I said quietly and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.

'No problem' he replied shyly and put his arms around my waist.

I don't know what got into me, but I randomly felt like hugging him. It might have seemed like I hugged him because of his help, but it was more about our whole friendship. I was never that close with any guy, never on a friendship level. The short moments, just like that one, made me trust him and I knew he'd never betray my trust as a friend. Also, around him I didn't have to act like I knew everything, I never had to be serious; I could just be myself.

The hug lasted for a short moment; it ended when I let him go. I pulled away and looked at him. He looked straight into my eyes, I blushed and looked away. That made him chuckle.

'Hey, aren't you cold?' he asked and looked at my arms. I was wearing a warm sweater on the top of a T-Shirt which was on the top an undershirt. So no, I shouldn't be cold.

'Nah, I'm not' I answered and smiled. I looked at his arms which were still around me. He didn't really get the clue at first, but he eventually got there.

'Oh, oh… I'm sorry, I should just…' he said and he was about to take his arms away, but I stopped him.

'No, it's fine…' I said and looked into his eyes. 'Really.'

We stared at each other for a second, until he looked down at my lips. I already knew where it was going and I decided to let it happen. He slowly started leaning in and…

'And what the hell is going on here?' someone said. We looked up and saw my dad standing with his arms crossed, my mom was standing behind him.

'Nothing' I said and pushed Chad away.

'Yeah, we were just… Ummm… Playing basketball' Chad explained. Of course he had no idea what nonsense that was.

'Basketball, huh?' my dad said. He gave my mom a "look". She laughed, shook her head and went into the house. Dad walked up to us. 'First of all, your leg is broken. Second of all, my daughter doesn't play basketball. Ever.'

'Well, daddy, we were just… you know…' I tried to explain, but Chad cut me off.

'Taylor said it was impossible to play with a broken leg… So I wanted to prove her wrong' he said. My dad gave him a suspicious look.

'And?' he asked.

'And he did prove me wrong, dad. Really' I said. My dad raised his eyebrows.

'Well done kid, I'd never say Taylor is wrong…' he said and looked at Chad.

'Yeah, well I was wrong. This one time I was actually wrong' I said. My dad chuckled.

'Okay, okay. I get it. Where's your cane, Danforth?'

'I left it at home, coach. I didn't feel like taking it' Chad answered.

'You should have it with you all the time, you should protect your leg. We need it.'

Chad smiled and looked down at his leg. 'One more week and I'll have that thing off.'

'Good, but until then I don't want to see you without your can, do you understand?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Alright. Now go inside, you two must be freezing.'

Chad and I exchanged looks and smiled.

'Yeah, we are' I said.

'Then go inside and ask your mother to make the both of you some tea. I don't want you dead. I'll go to the car and take the groceries.'

'Sure dad' I said and looked at Chad. 'Let's go inside.'

'Yeah, let's.' He picked up his jacket from the ground and we headed towards the back door.

'Oh, and Danforth, one more thing' my dad said. We both turned to him.

'Yes, coach?' Chad asked.

'I'm watching you' Dad said shortly and he walked to his car. I rolled my eyes. He meant that Chad should keep away from me.

Chad smiled 'Yes, sir. I know.'

Inside we sat at the table in the kitchen. My mom made us some tea and we basically talked about Chad's leg.

'So, when are they taking you cast off?' Mom asked. Chad put his cup down and looked down at his leg.

'Next week… But I still won't be able to play basketball for a week or two… That depends.'

'Don't worry, you're young, your bones heal within days. You'll see, next week you'll be running around just like you did before.'

Chad smiled and looked up. 'I hope.'

'Is you mom out of the house?' I asked. I didn't mind spending time with him when it was only the two of us, but once my parents got to talk to him while I was around, they were unpredictable. I wanted Chad out of our house before either one of them asked something stupid.

'Yeah, she went shopping… She left me at home since I can't walk, and-' he got cut off by his cell phone. 'Excuse me.' He got up and limped to the living room.

'He is a nice boy' my mom pointed out. I looked down at my tea.

'I guess' I said and shrugged. I wanted to seem as uninterested as possible.

'You know, next time don't try to kiss a guy when it's cold. It sure feels good, but you might get something on your lips' Mom said, smiled and left the kitchen.

I was about to run after her and tell her that we were not going to kiss, but I didn't want to lie to her. To be honest, I was even a little mad at them for ruining the moment. The first time we were about to kiss was different. I wasn't sure whether I wanted it or no, but this time I knew I finally wanted it to happen.

Taylor M.


	16. Chapter 16

HEY! Sorry, I know it's late, but I'm in a really complicated position in my life right now, a lot is going on and yeah, life is a mess for a few weeks now hahaha I recently moved and I'm still looking for a school and there is a lot to take care of in general, so I've been running around for the past few days, I only got like 15, maybe 20 minutes a day to sit down and focus on this. So excuse me if this chapter is messy, because I had a lot of ideas and I really couldn't focus. I usually get great ideas at 1 or 2am when I can't sleep... Unfortunately when I wake up in the morning, I only remember 50% of them hahaha :)

So anyways, enough of my problems, enjoy reading and feel free to review! :))  
>~TheCreativePenguinLover<p>

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><p>A lot had been going on in my head. A lot of thinking. Too much, even for me. For the first time in my life I was that confused. I know that so many times I swore I had no feelings towards Chad and probably then it was true, but after those two moments we had, I wasn't so sure anymore. I mean, I was fine, but whenever he showed up, something happened. I felt something I never felt before. I felt that ever since the second time we were about to kiss. I realized that every time I was alone with Chad, things happened; we either flirted or were millimeters away from kissing. That is why I chose to avoid him unless I really, really had to see him and probably my plan would have worked, if it wasn't one thing: Chad lived next door.<p>

It was Saturday. I was in my room, finishing my homework.

'Taylor, dinner's ready!' my mother called from downstairs.

'I'm coming!' I yelled. I finished writing a sentence, closed my notebook and ran downstairs. When I was at the door to the dining room, I froze. I saw Chad sitting at the table with my brother.  
>Chad had the cast off his leg off for two days already.<p>

'Taylor, sit down. The meat is almost done' my mom said and walked to the kitchen. I took my eyes off Chad and followed her.

'What's Danforth doing here?' I asked.

'Chad's home alone for a few days' my dad explained and walked to the dining room. I followed him. 'He's gonna eat with us until his mother comes back home.'

'Cool…' I said quietly and sat at the table, opposite from Chad and Tony.

'Man, you're home alone. You should throw a party' Tony said and looked at Chad. He laughed.

'Are you kidding me? My mother would kill me.'

'No parties' my dad said strictly and sat the table with us. Tony gave him a confused look.

'I'm not trying to throw a party here, we want to have one at Chad's house' he explained. Dad rolled his eyes.

'No parties here, no parties at Chad's house. His mother told us to keep an eye on him, which means there will be no parties as long as I'm in charge.'

'Who's having a party?' Destiny asked as she walked into the room and sat next to me.

'No one, Pops ruined it' Tony said and sighed. 'We wanted to have one at Danforth's house.'

My sister looked up and finally realized that Chad was in the room. She had a confused look on her face.

'What's he doing here?' she asked. My dad opened his mouth to answer her question, but Chad was faster.

'My mom went to New York, so your parents said I could eat here while she's gone' he said. She looked at him for a moment and then shrugged.

'I don't care as long as there is enough food for me' she replied, which made everyone laugh.

'Chad is like family to us' Mom said as she put the food down on the table. 'He can always eat here, we have enough food too, don't worry.'

'Yeah son, eat as much as you want' my dad added and smiled at Chad.

'Thank you, really' he said, smiled and looked down.

'Wait, so you were the one who punched that guy who dared to touch Taylor?' Destiny asked. I looked up at her and then at Chad. He smiled a little.

'Yeah, that was me' he replied shyly.

'Good job, Fuzzy' she said and reached for the meat. Tony laughed and I just smiled. Destiny always called Chad "Fuzzy" because of his hair.

I thought my dad or mom would say something like "Thank you Chad for standing up for Taylor, blah blah blah" but they didn't. They just looked at each other and smiled.

'Oh yeah, by the way… has anyone seen Martin at all? He wasn't at school the whole week' Tony said.

'That's because he doesn't go to East High anymore' Dad explained. Tony, Chad and I looked at him in shock.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'I mean that his parents moved him to another school.'

'Why?' Chad asked, like it wasn't obvious why.

'I'm sorry, but I can't discuss that with you. All I can tell you is that he and his parents were unsatisfied with the school because, apparently, Derrick was bullied' dad said. When he said the last word, he looked at Tony.

'What? Why are you looking at me?' Tony asked.

'Anthony, did you bully that boy?' Mom asked. Tony looked at her, then at Chad and then back at mom.

'I might have…'

'Anthony' my dad said seriously. Tony gave up.

'Okay, okay… I did… a bit though. But it was mostly the other guys.'

'How many times have we told you not to do such things?' my mom asked. You could clearly hear disappointment in her voice.

'Many times' Destiny said out of the blue. She just wanted to annoy Tony and make mom and dad angrier at him, but they ignored her.

'I'm sorry, but after what he did to Taylor… What, was I supposed to be friends with him?' Tony tried to defend himself.

'You could have ignored him' Dad said.

'And then what? Plus, everyone else was-' Tony got cut off by dad.

'I don't care about everyone else' he said seriously. 'And neither should you. Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn't mean you have to join. I thought you were smarter than that.'

Tony, instead of arguing with dad, went silent and looked down. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't win with our father.

'You're right. I'm sorry' he said quietly and we all got back to eating.

'Plus' Dad said. 'Chad tried to bring justice and look at all the trouble that brought him.'

'Yeah, but it was worth it' Chad said quietly and looked at me. I looked down at my plate.

'Yeah, he's right. It made that Derrick kid leave Taylor alone' Destiny pointed out. My father put his fork down and thought about it.

'Yes, that's true. But it brought more problems. Look kids, violence is never the answer' he said and looked at Chad. 'Okay?'

'Yes, I understand… It's just that it made me so mad… The first thing that came to my mind was to hit him… I'm sorry.'

'No, don't be sorry. That's normal. And yes, I probably would do the same thing if I was you. But you need to understand that before you do something, you need to think it through. Because Derrick did say bad things about Taylor, but in the end he was the one bullied out of the school. And if things went down in a different way, that probably wouldn't have happened.'

'And he'd stay at school and still spread gossips about my sister, huh?' Tony exploded. Dad looked at him.

'I don't know' he said calmly.

'Why are you protecting him, dad?'

'I'm not. Trust me; I got really mad when I heard what he said about Taylor. But as a teacher at East High I have to be objective. You have to understand it was hard situation for me too.'

'Yeah, I know..' Tony said and calmed down. 'I wish I was in the locker room then, I'd love to be the one who punched Derrick.'

'Stop it, Tony' my mom said and rubbed his back. 'No need to get mad. That boy is out of the school and everyone is happy. Let's just forget about him and enjoy our dinner, okay?'

We all nodded and we continued eating. We changed the subject to the Championship. I was looking down at my plate, because I knew that the closer the Championships were, the closer my kiss with Chad was.

After dinner I was in the kitchen with my dad, because he asked me to help him around the dishes.

'Okay, that's it' he said and put the last dish in the cupboard. 'You're free to go now.'

'Dad, can I tell you something?' I asked. He gave me a confused look.

'Sure baby, of course you can. What's wrong?'

'Well… um… You know Derrick got bullied… It was because of something I told him… in front of everyone.'

'Don't worry about it' Dad said and he rubbed my back. 'I know what you told him.'

'Really?' I asked and looked up at him. He chuckled.

'Yeah, I heard about it… And to be honest, I know I shouldn't be proud of that… But I am.'

'Are you really?' I asked and looked down. 'It was really mean…'

'I know… But at least you stood up for yourself… So yeah, I'm proud of you' he said, put his arm around me and kissed my forehead.

'Thanks daddy… Did you tell Mom?'

'No, I decided to leave it between us… Also, none of the teachers know and I'll leave it that way.'

I smiled. 'Awesome.'

I went to sleep pretty late that day, because Mom and Dad let us stay up and watch a movie, because it was the weekend. The movie ended at 12:30am, after I took a shower, I was ready to go bed at around 1:30am.

Since I was the last one to shower, I walked around the hall really quietly because my whole family was already sleeping. I entered my room, closed the door and turned the light on. I made my bed and I walked up to check if the balcony was closed, when I saw Chad sitting on his balcony. That wouldn't surprise me, if it was a sunny, summer day, but he was there in February, in the middle of the night. I put my bathrobe on and opened the balcony door.

'Hey' I said. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me.

'Hey.'

'What are you doing here so late?' I asked and walked outside. He sighed.

'Just thinking…'

'Here? Right now? At 2am?'

'Yeah… I can't sleep.'

'Is it because you're home alone?' I asked. Chad gave me a weird look.

'I'm not scared to be home alone at night' he said seriously.

'Then what's wrong? Is something bothering you?'

'Actually… Yeah.'

'Wanna talk about it?'

He stared at me for a moment and made up his mind. 'Sure' he replied and got up.

Our balconies were around 6ft away from each other. It was fun when we were younger, because Chad and Tony mastered going from one balcony to another using a tree that was in our yard. One of the branches was right in between the balconies, so what they did was step over the balustrade, then the put one leg on the branch and jump to the other balustrade. Sounds dangerous, I know, but believe it or not, they never got hurt while doing that. The only people who were against the boys doing that were the mothers, after that one time my mom almost fainted when she saw the 7 year old Tony standing on the tree branch 13ft above the ground.

Chad got from his balcony to mine, like he did for the past 9 years. We sat down on the little bench I had there.

'So, wanna tell me why you're sitting on your balcony when it's freezing cold outside?' I asked. He looked at me and then at himself. I was wearing my warm, winter PJ's and a bathrobe. All he had on was a T-Shirt and long pyjama pants.

'True, it's a bit cold' he said quietly.

'You wanna come inside?'

'No, your dad would kill me…'

'Why would he do that?'

'Think about it… There is a guy. In your bedroom. In the middle of the night. It only means one thing.'

'What if we were just talking?'

'You think he'd believe that?'

I thought about it. 'You're right. Wait here, I'll be right back' I said and got up. I walked into my room and found a huge blanket. I picked it up and I walked outside. 'Here, maybe this will help.'

I opened the blanket, put it around myself, sat next to Chad and put it around him too.

'Thanks…' he said quietly.

'No problem. So, what's keeping you up?'

'Oh, you know… Stuff.'

'You'll have to be more specific' I said and smiled. He smiled weakly.

'It's… My parents.'

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing… Or at least I have no idea what's wrong… I'm worrying about my mom.'

'Why?'

'She's umm… She's pregnant.'

I gave Chad a shocked look. I really was speechless.

'Ummm…' I stuttered. 'I'm sorry, but… How's that bad?'

'It isn't… at least it shouldn't be… Look, I heard her talk to my dad over the phone. She told him over the phone and that's how I found out. At first she was really happy and all, but, as she was listening to him talk, she got sad.'

'What did he tell her?' I asked. He sighed and looked down.

'I don't know, she wouldn't say. She hung up and saw I heard the whole thing. But instead of yelling at me, she just looked down and told me she had to go to New York for a few days.'

'Wait, so that's why she left all of the sudden?' I asked and he nodded. 'Oh Chad, don't worry…'

'How can I not worry? She was sad, she didn't want to talk to me… She was like the old mom, you know. She just packed her stuff and left.'

'What do you think he told her?'

'I don't know… I'm just scared.'

'Why?'

'Because… I was happy they were getting back together, I really was. I wanted my mother to be happy again… But now... what if they won't get back together? What if they break up again? And my mom will end up all alone with the baby…'

'She won't be all alone… She has you.'

He looked up at me. 'How am I gonna help? I'm irresponsible and stuff… Plus, I'm a lot of trouble to her… And imagine her having another one of me…'

I giggled. 'You need to stop dramatizing. You are a very responsible person.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. I mean, just look at the way you're worrying about her. It means you really care.'

'I guess you're right… and thanks. You are the most responsible person I know… and you telling me I'm responsible means a lot.'

I smiled. 'No problem. Look, no matter what happens, your mom has you. You just need to let her know you want to help as much as you can.'

'And how do I do that?'

'I don't know, start with little things… Like taking the garbage out… cleaning your room… improving your grades.'

'Ugh, the grades again' he whined and hid his face in his hands. I giggled.

'Man up!' I said and hit him on the arm. 'Pull yourself together; I know you can do this!'

'You think?' he asked and looked at me. I smiled.

'Of course, you can do anything if you try hard enough.'

'You're right… you're always right Tay.'

'Duh, I know' I said which made him chuckle.

We sat there in silence for a moment. We were wrapped up in one blanket; sitting really close to each other; I could feel the heat coming from him. To be honest I could sit up there with him forever.

Chad was looking up at the sky.

'Isn't it beautiful?' I asked and looked up too. He looked at me.

'Yeah, it is' he replied. I looked at him and saw he was staring at me dreamily.

'What's up?' I asked and smiled. He didn't take his eyes off me.

'Nothing, just… You know what, there is that one thing I wanted to do for a while now… You mind if I do it right now?'

The hot chills were back on my spine. My heart started racing, just like it did the first time we were this close. I blushed like an idiot and looked into his eyes.

'Go ahead.'

He smiled, got even closer to me and leaned in. I closed my eyes and once again waited for it to happen. I knew he was slowly getting closer, I felt his warm breath on my chin. I felt his nose touch mine and this time I knew it would happen for sure. Unfortunately, when I felt the tip of his upper lip touching mine, he changed his mind. He turned his head away from mine, sighed and leaned back.

I opened my eyes and gave him a confused look. 'What's wrong?' I asked.

'I'm sorry…' he said, took the blanket off his back and wrapped it around me. 'I better go.'

'Is everything okay?' I asked as I watched him walk up to the balustrade.

'Yeah, it is… I better go back home, it's late, I bet you're tired… and it's cold. And in case your dad or mom comes to check if you're sleeping… I don't want to get you into trouble.'

'Okay, if you say so…' I said. I tried to hide my disappointment.

'Sleep tight' he said, smiled at me and went back to his balcony. I got up and looked at him.

'Night Chad' I said, smiled and went back into my room. I put the blanket on my bed, took my bathrobe off and lied down. I covered myself with the blanket and turned my lamp off.

This time no one interrupted us. If Chad didn't change his mind, we would kiss for sure. But why did he do that? Was he having second thoughts? Why? I curled up in my bed and looked out of the balcony door. The light in Chad's room was still on, but I couldn't see him. The light finally turned off. I wondered if he went to sleep right away or if he stayed up for almost one hour thinking about the whole thing, like I did.

'Wait, what? You guys kissed three times?!' Gaby asked as we walked up to my locker. There was no one in the corridor besides us, because classes finished about 15 minutes ago.

'Shhh, someone will hear you!' I whispered to her.

'What the heck, Taylor, there is no one here.'

'Yeah, but walls have ears… especially in this school.'

'Okay, okay… you're right. But did you kiss him?'

'Shhh! And no, I _almost_ did.'

Gaby smiled. 'What does almost mean?'

'It means that twice we got interrupted…'

Gaby stopped smiling. 'Awww… That sucks. But wait, you said three times.'

'Yeah, well the last time… It was weird. We were literally millimeters away, everyone was sleeping, so no one could stop us… And he just backed out.'

'Why?'

'I don't know… He said he didn't want to get me into trouble.'

'And why would he do that?'

'No idea… I guess it's because we were on my balcony in the middle of the night.'

She gave me a shocked look. 'What? You were where?'

I was about to start explaining, but I saw the guys walking up to us.

'I'll tell you later' I whispered to her. She was about to ask me again, but Troy surprised her with a hug.

'Hey Gabs!' he said and kissed her. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chad, Tony and I rolled our eyes.

'At least their Valentine's Day is going good' Chad pointed out and leaned on the lockers.

'Yeah…' Tony said and looked at Chad. 'But I heard yours went by pretty well too. How many cards did you get?'

'I don't know man… Like 20, maybe more.'

'Did you, really?' I asked without looking at him. He smiled and turned his head to me.

'Yeah, I did… I got them all in my bag, wanna see?'

'No, I'm fine, thank you' I replied and opened my locker. A little, red piece of paper fell out of it. I picked it up and looked at it.

'Man, if you have so many chicks chasing after you, how come you don't have a girlfriend?' Tony asked Chad. He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

'I don't know, man. I guess I'm just not looking for one right now.'

Tony scoffed and leaned on the lockers, right next to mine. 'You're nuts. I don't get why chicks like you so much, but what I really don't get is how you just ignore them.'

Chad didn't answer; he just shrugged and looked at me. 'What you got there, Tay?' he asked.

I read what was written on the paper and smiled to myself. It was a Valentine's Day card, addressed to me.

'Yo Taylor, you there?' Tony asked and peaked over my shoulder. 'What's that? Let me see!'

He took the paper out of my hand and looked at it.

'Give it back!' I demanded and tried to take the paper away from him, but he put it in his other hand.

He laughed. 'Oh man, come see this!'

'Tony! Give it back to me!' I kept begging and trying to take it away from him. He wrapped his arm around me, so that I couldn't move my arms, and he held me like that.

'Hey guys, listen to this!' he laughed and started reading. '_To Taylor._ _Roses are red, Violets are blue. You probably don't know this, but I really like you!_ _You might think I'm crazy, and I guess I am, but when you look at me, my heart goes bam, bam!'_

Chad laughed and took the paper away from Tony. 'Who's it from?'

'I don't know, man' Tony said. He was still holding me. 'It's signed B.D.'

'Tony, let me go!' I cried. He laughed.

'Okay, okay' he said and let me go. I walked up to Chad and took the card away from him.

'That's mine' I said seriously and put the paper in my pocket. Chad chuckled and Tony laughed again.

'Wow Taylor, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You got a Valentine' he said. I slammed my locker and looked at him.

'You are assholes. Both of you. You and Danforth!' I said furiously. 'No respect, for anything!'

I grabbed my bag and started walking towards the exit.

'Hey, Tay! I'm sorry! I really am!' Chad called, but I didn't stop walking. I was really mad and I didn't need his excuses.

'Well done' Gaby said, grabbed her bag and followed me, leaving the guys standing in the corridor.

'Taylor, wait!' she called once we were both outside. 'Wait for me.'

I stopped walking and turned to her. She ran up to me.

'I hate them. They always do that' I said. She hugged me.

'Don't worry, they are stupid jerks. Who cares about them!'

'I know… But still, they always need to ruin everything.'

'It's okay' she said and pulled away. 'Let's forget about them. Let me see that card you got.'

I smiled, pulled the paper out of my pocket and handed it to her. She read what it said and smiled.

'Awwwwww, that's so cute! I wonder who put it in your locker.'

'I don't know… I don't know anyone with initials B.D.'

'Well, that's always a start… At least you can look around and see, maybe there is some mysterious guy named B.D.'

I giggled. 'I guess…. At least I got a card.'

'Exactly. Do you think it could be from that guy Chad told you about?'

'That guy who apparently likes me? I guess… That would mean that Chad isn't the one who likes me, he made fun of me because of the card.'

'Hey, who knows… Maybe he's another guy that also likes you' Gaby said and smirked. I rolled my eyes.

'I doubt that.'

'Hey Taylor!' someone called. Gaby and I looked around and saw Chad walking up to us.

'Oh God, not him again' I whispered and she giggled. 'What do you want?' I asked once he walked up to us.

'I wanted to apologize' he answered. I was about to tell him to go to hell, but he interrupted me. 'And I wanted to give you these' he said and took my gloves out of his pocket. 'You dropped them while you were running out of the school.'

'Thanks' I said coldly and took them away from him.

'I knew you were mad and I wanted to give them back tomorrow, but I didn't want you to be cold.'

I looked at him and then at Gaby. She smirked and walked away from us.

'Listen, Chad-' I said, but he cut me off.

'I know what you're gonna say, but let me explain. I'm sorry for laughing at you… I wasn't even trying to laugh at you, but if you got that impression… I'm sorry.'

I looked down at my feet. He apologized and it seemed like he really meant it. As much as I wanted to be mad at him, I couldn't. Plus, he even cared to return my gloves… God, why was he so damn nice?

'It's okay' I said and looked up at him. He smiled.

'So, you're not mad anymore?'

'I am. But I'm mad at Tony, not at you.'

He smiled even more. 'Good, because I have something for you.'

He took his backpack off his back and started looking through it. I curiously watched him do it. He finally found what he was looking for.

'Here, that's for you' he said shyly and handed me a little teddy bear. 'I also had a chocolate, but it got squished in my bag… so I had to eat it. I hope you're not disappointed…'

I took the teddy bear from him, looked at it and smiled. 'No, I'm not… And it's really cute.'

'Isn't it? And look, it's a key chain, so you can attach it to your keys' he said and smiled. I looked up at him.

'Thanks, so much… But why?'

'I don't know… I know it's Valentine's Day, so I thought "Hey, I should get Taylor somethin'"… Since you know, you're my friend… I thought you'd like it.'

'Yeah, I do… I like it a lot… But you really didn't have to…' I said shyly.

'Oh come on! You help me so much… The least I can do is make you smile from time to time.'

I had no idea what to tell him. I had so many thoughts going through my head. He was so nice to me, he remembered to get me something… I can't explain how special it made me feel.

'Thanks… Really' I said. He smiled and hugged me.

'Happy Valentine's Day, Tay' he whispered. I giggled and hugged him back.

'Happy Valentine's Day to you too.'

Chad finally let me go and cleared his throat.

'Umm… I got go now… You know, practice…'

'Yeah, I know… Go, don't be late.'

'Yeah… So umm, see you later, huh?'

'Yup' I said and smiled.

'Cool. Bye' he said, winked at me and started walking towards the school.

Gaby walked up to me with a huge grin on her face. 'You two are way too cute' she said which made me giggle.

'Stop.'

'Really! And he gave you this!' she said and looked at the key chain. 'Oh my! It's so adorable!'

I smiled and looked at the teddy bear. 'I know…'

'Great Valentine's Day, huh?'

'Perfect' I added and smiled.

'Look, Chad is all cute and all, but what about the card dude?' she asked and handed me the card.

'What about him?'

'Who do you think it is?'

'I don't know' I said and took the card from her. 'I guess we just have to wait and maybe we'll find out.'

Taylor M.


	17. Chapter 17

Ummm... Surprise? I was going to update this on Sunday I think (just because), but I got some free time today and I thought "oh why not stay up until 1am to finish this thing"?  
>I went from 2 000 words to 6 100 today (starting at 6pm, with a 2.5h break to watch Harry Potter :D and short food breaks of course). I guess this chapter just had to be finished, so WOO there ya go! :) (i hope you're happy, because my eyes are about to fall out of my head haha)<p>

I hope you like it! And feel free to review!

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>'Thank God it's March' Gaby said as we walked up to my locker. 'It will, hopefully, get warmer soon.'<p>

'I hope so… All this cold is making me sick… literally' I said and opened my locker. Something fell out of it. I crouched and picked it up. It was a red, folded piece of paper and it looked familiar. I opened it and read what it said:

_To Taylor,  
>When you smile,<br>The whole world stops.  
>It's all in slow motion,<br>Even raindrops. _

_B.D._

'Hey, what's that?' Gaby asked. I smiled and handed her the paper. She read it and also smiled. 'Awwwww.'

'I know…' I said and leaned on the lockers.

'B.D.? Is that the same guy who gave you that valentine?'

'Yeah, it is… I wonder who it is.'

'Well, this guy seems to be serious about you, Tay' Gaby said and smiled.

'Stop' I said seriously and took the paper away from her.

'Oh come on, he sent you another love note and you don't even think it's cute.'

'I do… It's just… I don't know.'

'What? Taylor, hello! Open your eyes. You are a pretty girl and guys like you. Time to deal with it.'

I looked up at her. 'Guys? It's only that one guy.'

'You never know' she said and smirked. I rolled my eyes.

'Whatever.'

I thought that the valentine from the mysterious B.D. guy was really cute. I was happy I got a card from someone and that someone liked me. However, after I thought about it, it scared me. I don't know why; I guess I'm just that type of person, but I started feeling… Sort of responsible. Responsible for what I do, like for example I had no idea who B.D. was, so when I was at school I always had to act perfect because he could be looking at me in that exact moment. It was paranoia, I know, but I couldn't help it. I was flattered that someone liked me and I didn't want to disappoint them in any way.

When I got home from school, I changed my clothes really fast. Chad was coming over to study at our place, because of something; he wouldn't tell me why. Since no one was home except for Destiny, I agreed. I knew that my parents wouldn't mind Chad coming over, especially to study.

I was cleaning the table in our dining room, when the doorbell rang.

'I'm coming!' I yelled and put the vase off the table, so we could have place for books.

The doorbell rang again.

'Taylor, get the door!' Destiny called from upstairs.

'I'm about to!' I yelled back and looked around the room. It was finally clean.

The doorbell rang again.

'Taylor, are you freaking deaf?' Destiny called. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the door.

'Well, if you cleaned the dining room, I would get the door the first time' I yelled back and opened the door. 'Hey' I said like an angel. Chad gave me a funny look.

'Are you guys in a middle of something…? I can come some other time, if it's not the right moment…' he said in a scared tone.

'No, we're not. Just come in.'

'Oh, okay then' he said and came in. 'Thanks for letting me come here… I'd rather be out of my house now.'

'No problem' I said and closed the door. 'And why?'

'My parents are there' he explained as we walked into the dining room. I sat down at the table.

'Your dad's here?' I asked. Chad sighed and sat in front on me.

'Yeah, he is… When my mom came back from New York, he came back with her…'

'And? Did they say something? You know, about your mom?'

'Yeah… Well mom told him that I knew she was pregnant. When she went to sleep, he sat me down and told me that they might get back together… for real. And he also told that he will come visit us as much as he can, because he can't move here… you know, because of his job. He said that while he's gone, I should take care of her and stuff…'

'But that's great!' I said. Chad smiled weakly.

'I guess…'

'Oh come on! Isn't that what you always wanted?'

'Yeah… But you know, it all seems so perfect…'

'Chad, stop it. You're worrying more about than my grandma worries about Tony not eating enough.'

Chad chuckled. 'You don't understand… They broke up 12 years ago… It's just weird that after all this time they still… have feelings for each other.'

'Well, that's real love' I said and smiled.

'Do you believe in that? That once you fall in love with someone, you will always have feelings for them?'

'I don't know… It didn't really happen to me yet, but by looking at your parents… I guess it happens.'

He smiled and looked down. 'Awesome.'

'Why?'

'My parents got back together… They're gonna have a baby… I don't know, things are going… Good. All I need to do is not to screw up this school year.'

'Leave that to me' I said and put the math book in front of him. 'You're not failing anything as long as I'm in charge.'

He smiled and looked up at me. 'I hope not.'

'You really underestimate me' I said and smiled. Chad chuckled.

'Oh no, I wouldn't even dare to' he said jokingly.

'Well, then you just need to shut up and let me teach you.'

He finally laughed. 'Sure, do whatever you want. I'm all yours.'

I gave him a confused look and he just smirked. I shook my head and looked down. Obviously what he just said could be understood in two different ways and he clearly did it on purpose.

'Anyways…' he said after a long silence. I knew he wanted me to flirt back, but I really didn't want to… or at least I tried really hard to stop myself.

'Yeah?' I asked as I looked through my notes from class.

'How's life treating you?'

'Not bad.'

'Not bad, huh? That really told me nothing, but at least you tried…'

I looked up at him. 'What?'

'What? I meant that at least you answered my question… I see you're not as pissed as I thought you were.'

'What?'

He gave me a confused look. 'I think I already answered that…'

'No, I meant… What the hell, I'm not pissed!' I defended myself. Chad raised his eyebrows.

'You're not really helping it…'

I took a deep breath. 'Why do you think I'm pissed?' I asked calmly. He shrugged.

'I don't know… You just look, you know… Upset.'

'But I'm not.'

'Well, you seem to be.'

'But I'm not! Really! I'm in no particular mood right now…' I said and realized something. 'Wait, if I look pissed when I'm not… does it mean I always look pissed?'

'I really wouldn't know… but sometimes you do walk around with that angry look on your face.'

'Well, it's not my fault everyone and everything is annoying' I said coldly. He chuckled.

'There you have it…'

I understood what he meant and gave him a shocked look. 'Oh God, you're right… I'm always pissed…'

'You're not… You just seem to be.'

'Oh no…' I said quietly and put my notebook down. 'I'm just a scary ass pissed bitch who scares everyone away.'

'Well… You're not scary to me' he said in a sweet voice, but I just rolled my eyes.

'I don't mean you, fool.'

Chad gave me a confused look. 'Then who?'

I pulled the note from B.D. out of my pocket and handed it to him. He looked at it and laughed.

'Man, that's so lame…' he said while laughing. I gave him a mad look, which made him stop laughing right away. 'I mean adorable.'

'Give it to me!' I demanded, but he moved his hand away.

'Wait, I'm reading.'

'No, you're not! You're making fun of me!' I said and got up. I walked up to him and pulled my hand out. 'Give it back.'

'Make me' he replied and smirked. I bit my lips, thought about it and, of course, did the wrong thing. I tried to take it away from him myself, but obviously that wouldn't happen. He leaned away and stretched his right arm in the opposite direction.

'Give it back!' I said seriously and, while trying to reach the paper, leaned on him. He chuckled.

'Oh come on! I'm not gonna do anything, just let me look at it' he said. I frowned and looked at him. His face was uncomfortably close to mine.

'You promise?' I asked. He smiled, looked down at my lips and then back into my eyes.

'Yeah' he said shortly. I let him go, fixed my T-shirt (because of all that rubbing and leaning on him it got a little wrinkled) and went back to my seat.

'Damn it, you long armed chimp' I said. I don't know why, but with him I couldn't help but act childish.

He chuckled. 'How did you guess my nickname?'

'It's quite obvious' I said coldly.

'Isn't it?' he joked and smiled. He took another look at the paper. 'Is that the dude who put that valentine in your locker?'

'Yeah.'

'Wow, looks like he really likes you.'

'Jealous?' I asked jokingly.

'Very' he replied. I looked at him and he smiled.

'Yeah right' I said sarcastically and he laughed.

'Here you go' he said and put the paper in front of me.

'Thank you' I said without looking at him.

'No problem… You know, a simple "please" would work… But to be honest I didn't mind having you all over me.'

'For like four seconds' I added.

'I will always have those four seconds' he said and smiled. However, I chose to ignore him so he just cleared his throat and carried on. 'Well, it's nice… you know, that he sends you notes… I heard girls like that… Is it true?'

I gave him a suspicious look. 'Why?'

'I don't know… If it's true, who knows… I might do that too.'

I laughed. 'You? Love notes? Really?'

'Yeah, why not… I mean, how hard can it be?'

'Can you even rhyme?'

'I don't know… But if I liked someone, I'd try my best to make them smile.'

We were silent for a moment. I guessed Chad waited for a response, but I couldn't really think of anything to say. I shortly analyzed what he just said. He said "if I liked someone", which meant he didn't like anyone at that moment. Why did it make me feel weird? Sort of happy and sort of sad. I don't know why it made me happy, but it made me sad because if he didn't like anyone, he for sure didn't like me. Why did that bother me so much?

'Any idea who that dude is?' Chad asked. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him.

'No, no idea' I replied blankly.

'Oh… okay.'

I finally remembered something. 'Hey, remember that guy who you said liked me?' I asked.

'Yeah, I do… why?'

'Are his initials B.D. maybe?'

'I don't know…'

'You don't know?'

'I mean… I don't know his last name… I guess I could find out, if you wanna.'

'Wouldn't it be easier if you just told me who it is?'

'I can't Tay. I promised I wouldn't tell.'

'And you're such a secret keeper all of the sudden?'

'Hey, I keep your secrets' he pointed out.

'You're right… Does his name start with a B maybe?'

'Umm… well no…' Chad said and looked down.

'Then what does it start with?'

'Umm.. you know, I can't tell…' he said nervously. I gave him another suspicious look.

'Can't you just tell me the letter?'

He looked up at me. He bit his lips as if he was thinking really hard. 'I guess I can.. It's ummm, well… it starts with… it starts with a Q.'

'Q?' I asked. 'What name starts with a Q?'

'His name…' he said quietly and looked down. Wow, he lied to me. I was a bit shocked.

'Chad-' I started, but he cut me off.

'Can we just do math now? I gotta go home soon' he said and started taking his notebooks out.

'Yeah, sure…' I said and continued looking at him. I was trying to figure out why he was behaving like that. At first he was acting really smooth, flirting as usual, but as soon as we touched the mysterious guy topic, he got nervous. A while ago I decided to drop it, because he'd always try to avoid telling me the truth. However, that day I put him on spot and he couldn't just not answer my question. So he chose the easy way and lied to me. I knew he lied to me, because, for some reason, I could see it in his eyes. He always has a spark in his eyes, but when he lies or when he's sad, the spark disappears. That's what happened that afternoon.

While we were studying together, we didn't talk much. I explained math equations to him, he either nodded his head or asked why there was a minus or whatever. One wouldn't tell there were two teenagers studying, because atmosphere in the room was rather funeral like. To make everything even better, it started raining outside. I sat there and stared at the raindrops on the window while he was solving the equations. I knew that the weather in March was rather bitchy, but I'd never say it adjusted to people's moods.

April was really calm. I got another note from B.D., but not of the 1st of April of course, because that would be mean. I found it in my locker around the 10th. Another one came by the 20th. They were really adorable, just like the other two. I found some space for them in my drawer at home. I wasn't sure if I was going to receive more of them or no, so the drawer was just a temporary location.

I decided not to investigate who that mysterious boy could be, I wanted to give him a chance. I figured out he was really shy and found enough courage to send me notes only, but that made me like him even more. I mean, as much as a girl can like someone whose identity she is not sure of, but he sends her cute notes. I hoped that sooner or later he'd find the courage to talk to me in real life.

I decided not to talk to Chad about it… sort of. He knew I kept getting notes from B.D. and we sometimes discussed what he wrote, but I stopped questioning him. Even though I knew he knew something, I decided to let it go. After all, he wasn't going to tell me anything anyway.

Since it was really warm, I spent more time outside. I was either out with Gaby, usually in the park reading or studying or just talking, or just sitting on my balcony and enjoying the sun. Gaby had a lot of free time and she couldn't spend it with Troy, because the guys were practicing like crazy for the championships. For the last few weeks that's all we basically talked about at home… well my parents and Tony and maybe Destiny, I was rather on the side just listening.

I still remembered about the bet I had with Chad, so I had mixed feelings about the championships. I mean, yeah I wanted them to win because of my dad and the whole school, but on the other hand, I don't know, I was a little scared. Kissing Chad? It would happen because of the bet, so that doesn't mean anything, right? God, what did I get myself into? It was obvious they would win.

And of course, just like I and everyone expected, they did. While everyone was jumping up and down and teasing the other team's fans, I just stood there, pretending I was excited, because the truth is I wanted to go back in time and slap myself before I made the bet with Chad, but it was too late.

The after party was, of course, held in our and Danforths' back yards. Since I was the member of the family that hosted the whole thing, I had to participate in the celebration. Whether I liked it or not.

I was leaning on the fence between the yards and looking at everyone from a distance, when Gaby walked up to me.

'Wow, what a great party!' she said and leaned on the fence, right next to me.

'Right?' I asked and looked down at my cup. I was disappointed to see the bottom of it, because that meant I had to get up and walk through a crowd of people to get my Sprite.

'Hey, why aren't you celebrating with everyone?' she asked.

'Well, that's just not my type of party…' I explained. Gabriella gave me an "oh please" look.

'Then what kind of party is your type of party?'

'I don't know… I don't really party that much.'

She laughed. 'Come on, Tay! The guys won! Let's go celebrate!'

'I don't really feel like it, my head hurts…' I whined.

'Don't be lazy!' she said and grabbed my arm. 'Let's go!'

She dragged me near the crowd of dancing teenagers. I protested, but as soon as people noticed we walked up to them, I tried to act cool. I straightened my back and pretended to have a good time.

After a few minutes of dancing (or at least trying to dance), Gaby and I moved to the side.

'I'm thirsty' I said.

'Same.'

'I'll go get us something, huh?' I suggested. She nodded her head.

'Sure. Hey look, there's Troy! You go get the soda and I'll wait over there with him, okay?'

'Yeah, alright. Sprite, right?' I asked before she walked away.

'Yup!' she replied and ran up to Troy.

I rolled my eyes and headed to the table with drinks. I decided to take my time, because Troy and Gaby would anyway be so busy making out, they wouldn't care how long I was gone for.

The music was playing, everyone was dancing and I was standing by the table with drinks like it was a wake or something. I took a look around the table; the cups were thrown all around the table and I wondered who my parents would force to clean all that mess up. I figured out it was either me or Tony, simply because Destiny wasn't there. I managed to find two clean cups and when I reached for the bottle of Sprite, I noticed Chad standing near the tree all alone. The second I saw him, I remembered about the bet. I watched him sip his drink and wondered whether he remembered about it too.

'_What if he did?'_ I thought. _'Should I go up to him? No, I shouldn't. If he really wanted the kiss, he'd come and get it a long time ago. I'm not gonna go up to him, he might think I want to kiss him. Which I don't. I'm not desperate. No. I'm not gonna go up to him. No way I'm going up to him right now.'_

I opened the bottle of Sprite, poured myself some and looked up at him again. He was still standing there, all alone, looking around. He was wearing a hoodie with the logo of the team and jeans. He had his hair tied back, which made him look even better than before.

'_On the other hand… What if I just go up to him and talk?'_ I thought. _'That way I can see if he remembers about the bet. I don't have to kiss him, I can just stand there and talk. And if he kisses me, oh well. At least he won't think I like him or something… Yeah, I'll go talk to him. I have to. So he doesn't think I'm scared of kissing him. Which again, I'm not. I need to go and show him I'm not scared of anything.'_

I stood there for another moment and finally made up my mind. I left the cups on the table and slowly started walking in his direction. He didn't notice me, because he was too busy looking around, as if he was searching for someone. I stopped walking when I saw 3 guys walk up to him. I turned around and pretended I was also searching for someone.

'_Damn! Why do they have to talk to him right now? I wanted to go up there, but I can't when the guys are around. They might think… Ugh, I can't. They think I'm a nerd and all; they'll laugh at me if I go up to Chad. I can't do this.'_

I stood there for a moment; I was looking at them from the corner of my eye. The other boys didn't seem like they were going to leave Chad soon.

'_Ugh. Wait, what the hell?' I continued arguing with myself… in my head of course. 'I'm not scared of anything. I can do this. I just need to go up to him. Yeah, that's what I'll do.'_

I took a deep breath and continued walking towards Chad. My face expression indicated I didn't really care much… Or at least I hope it did. I finally walked up to them, but of course, they didn't realize I was there. I cleared my throat and they all turned their heads to me. All my courage went away and I was speechless. Great, perfect timing.

'Yeah?' one of the guys asked. I looked at all of their faces and tried to come up with something.

'Can I talk to Danforth? In private' I said suddenly.

The guys smirked and chuckled. One of them even did a "roar", as a joke of course, but I didn't really find that funny.

'Sure you can' the other guy said, smiled and patted Chad on the back. They finally left.

'Sorry for them… They were just kidding' Chad said shyly.

'I know, don't worry.'

'So, umm… what's up?' he asked. I looked down. I really didn't think it through. I said I wanted to talk to him just to make the guys go away. When they finally went, I had no idea what to tell Chad.

I looked around to see if anyone was watching. 'Come with me' I said the first thing that came to my mind. Again, didn't really think it through.

'Alright' he agreed and I lead him towards the front yard.

It was dark outside already. The area in the back yard where the party was bright, but as we walked up to the garage, it got darker. As we were walking, I was trying to think of a plan.

'_Where am I taking Chad? And why? I was only supposed to talk to him_' I kept thinking. I heard his footsteps behind me.

'Ummm, Tay? Where are we going?' he whispered.

'One sec' I replied, simply because I didn't know the answer. When we walked up to garage, I looked around. There was no one there.

'Okay. 'Cause you know, this is not creepy at all…' he whispered. I shushed him down.

We walked past the garage; now we were in front of it. I looked at the door and saw it was opened.

'Let's go in there' I ordered and walked up to the door. Chad gave me a confused look, but followed me inside.

'Hey, look… If you wanna kill me, do it right now… I mean, it can't get any weirder' he joked. Once we were in the garage, I turned to him. 'I'm not judging or anything… But if there is something you wanna tell me… Like "I'm a vampire!" or a werewolf or another cool but terrifying creature, go ahead. I'm ready for anything, really' he kept joking.

Instead of laughing, I just stood there and stared at him, trying to make up my mind about something…

'Taylor? Hey, I was just joking. I don't want you to be a vampire, that's not cool…' he joked, but I didn't respond. 'Tay?'

I hesitated for a moment, but I made up my mind. I took a deep breath, put my hands on his shoulders, stood on my tippy toes and… kissed him.

God, what a foolish thing to do, I know… but I felt like it, I really wanted to do it. But man, did it feel good. The second my lips touched his, the whole world around us didn't matter. I swear, for a moment I forgot everything; that there was a party going outside, that it was completely dark in the garage, that my name was Taylor… everything just went away. It was only Chad and I.

Of course he was surprised, and he seemed paralyzed at first, but because I wasn't pulling away, he realized what happened and I felt his lips slowly tighten on mine. My hands, involuntarily of course, started sliding towards his neck. He gently wrapped his arms around me and deepened the kiss. Fortunately, I snapped out of it before I completely drifted away. I pulled away and looked at him.

Chad raised his eye brows and started at me for a moment. Then he slowly started leaning in to kiss me again.

'Hey, slow down' I said and lightly pushed him away. He gave me a surprised look.

'What?'

'What are you doing?'

'But… but you… kissed me' he said like a little, sad child.

'Yeah. Because of the bet, remember?'

'The bet…?' he asked with a silly look on his face. I rolled my eyes.

'Are you kidding me?' I whined. 'I kissed you because I thought you wanted me to… and you didn't even remember? Then why did I kiss you?

'I don't know, why?' he kept asking. I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms.

'You know, because of the bet we had? That if you won the championship, I'd have to kiss you.'

He opened his mouth and thought about it. 'Wait, wait… Oh yeah!' he exclaimed. 'I thought you forgot about it, so I guess I forgot about it too.'

'Wait, so that means I didn't have to kiss you? You wouldn't remember anyway?' I asked. He smiled.

'No… But that's very nice of you… for remembering.'

I shook my head and shook his arms off. 'You are just… Ugh!' I said. I was irritated; all I wanted to do was to get out of there. I was about to walk out, but Chad grabbed my hand and pulled me back to where I was standing a second ago.

'Wait, do you remember the other part of the bet?' he asked.

'Yeah, why?'

'What if… I let you punch me… like really hard… Can I kiss you again?'

'What are you, crazy? No' I said seriously. Chad sighed.

'Worth a shot' he said. I looked up at him and we both laughed.

'You're stupid' I said and shook my head at him. He smiled.

'I know you love it.'

'Of course I do' I said sarcastically and smiled. 'Let's go back.'

'Wait' he stopped me again. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Yeah, sure.'

'Ummm… Taylor, do you maybe… ummm..' he stuttered. He looked down and scratched the back of his head. 'Do you maybe, you know… like me… more than just a friend?'

The last five words echoed in my head. Thank God it was dark in there and he couldn't clearly see my facial expression. It was something between scared and "I just crapped my pants".

'No, I don't' I replied without much thinking.

'_What? What the hell did I just say? Did I just tell him I didn't like him? Why? What's wrong with me? It's too late now to take it back'_ I thought as I was trying to keep a poker face.

Chad was still looking down. 'Oh, okay… Good. 'Cause you know, I don't like you either… Not like that. You're a great friend and I like you as a friend and stuff… Don't get me wrong, any guy would be lucky to have you, you're smart, fu-'

'Why are you asking?' I cut him off. I didn't want to hear all the great things about myself, because that made me even madder at myself.

'Umm, well you know…' he said and put his hands in his pockets. 'We had those few moments… I thought it was maybe because you… you know.'

'Me?' I asked and laughed nervously. 'No, come on! You know me better than that.'

'Yeah, that's what I thought too!' he said and laughed. 'Can you imagine? You and me?'

I faked another laugh. 'No, that would be weird.'

'I know, right?' he asked and laughed. We both went quiet and stared at the ground. It got really awkward.

'I just asked… because if you liked me… I mean, I wouldn't wanna break your heart of anything… You know, I'm not like that' he said and looked up at me. I looked away.

'No, I don't like you…'

'Oh, okay… good. 'Cause I don't like you either.'

Another awkward, silent moment came. We didn't know what to say to each other. I kept looking down, not sure why. I felt really bad and weird.

'So, um… Can we go back now?' I asked. Chad nodded.

'Yeah, let's.'

We walked back to the back yard in silence. Chad had his hands in his pockets and was looking away from me. I rubbed my arms, because I felt cold all of the sudden.

'Oh, there is Tony' Chad said. 'I'll see you later, huh?'

'Yeah' I said quietly and he walked away. I stood there for a second until Gaby ran up to me.

'Tay, where were you? I was looking all over the place for you! You were supposed to get the drinks and you disappeared! I thought something happened to you!' she said in a worried tone.

'Nah, I'm fine…' I said and looked down.

'Hey, what's wrong?' Gaby asked. She was another person I couldn't hide anything from.

'I… don't know. But I need to talk to someone about it.'

'Sure, let's talk.'

'What about Troy?'

'He can wait.'

I smiled weakly and we decided to go into the house and talk in my room, because it was peaceful there.

When we entered my room, I fell on the bed and moaned. Gaby closed the door and sat next to me.

'What's up?' she asked. I rolled on my back and looked at the ceiling.

'I kissed Chad' I said shortly. Gaby gave me a shocked look.

'You did WHAT?' she asked. She couldn't believe her ears.

'I kissed Danforth. Because of the bet we had' I explained.

'Ohhhh, I remember… You told me about it… So, how was it?' she asked and smiled. I sat up and hugged my pillow.

'It was good, I guess...'

'Did you finally get the "butterflies"?'

'I got goosebumps…' I said and looked at her.

'Close enough' she said and we giggled.

'Well, that's not the point…. The point is that later, after we kissed… he asked me… he asked me if I liked him… more than just a friend.'

'And? What did you tell him?'

'I said that I didn't like him… and he said he didn't like me either.'

'Wait, do you think he lied?'

'Gaby, I don't care if he lied. But why did _I_ lie?' I cried. Gaby thought for a second and smiled.

'So what you're saying is that… you like him?'

'I guess…' I said and got up.

'Taylor, no guessing. Yes or no?' she asked seriously. I thought about for a minute. It took a lot of walking around the room.

'I…' I said and stopped walking around. 'I… I think I do…' I said and looked at Gaby, who smiled at me. 'But a little!'

'But you like him!'

'Yeah, I do…' I admitted and sat next to her. 'But he's stupid, ignorant, lazy, impatient, impulsive, narrow-minded, overemotional, careless, self-centered, stubborn, irresponsible… and cute, funny, charming, honest, reliable, helpful, brave and good looking…' I said and sighed. Gaby giggled.

'Not so bad after all, huh?' she asked and smirked.

'But he's still Chad! I can't like him…'

'Too late for that. You're in too deep.'

'Well, that doesn't matter anymore… I told him I didn't like him and I can't do anything to change.'

'You could always just tell him the truth.'

'Oh yeah, and turn out to be an idiot for lying… Plus, he told me he didn't like me.'

'Do you think he was telling you the truth?'

'I don't know… It was too dark, I couldn't really tell…'

'Too dark? Where were you guys?'

'In our garage…'

'What?' she asked. I laughed.

'Long story, we needed some privacy' I said jokingly.

After the party, I spent most of the night just lying there and thinking about what happened. I finally kissed Chad and it was even better than I imagined. However, I had to ruin a great moment by lying to him. I don't know why I did it, but it just came out of my mouth. Before I realized what I said, I was too late. I also wondered what would happen if I told him the truth; if I told him I did like him a little. What could happen then? Would he ask me out or laugh at me? And what if he didn't lie and he really didn't like me? Then he would just reject me and it would hurt even more than not telling him how I feel.

After an hour of making up scenarios in my head, I decided to look for some good sides. And I found one, but very strong argument. People like Chad and I don't go together. We are completely different, have different interests and different aspirations. All he cared about was basketball but I wanted to study so I could go to college and find a real job, not playing sports. We pictured the world differently.

And even if he liked me, he still wouldn't go out with me. Everyone from the team would make fun of him for going out with a nerd. It's a bit different than with Troy and Gaby. Troy was the new kid. Unlike Chad, he didn't have the reputation of a "player" and he didn't only date girls from the top of the "popularity pyramid" at East High. And me, the "hardcore nerd" with high standards and achievements. Can you imagine what would happen if I was caught kissing Chad? I'd be crossed out forever. No, we both had too much to risk, especially me. I wasn't going to put my flawless, free of scandals (except that Derrick thing, which was a lie anyway) reputation at stake because of some stupid crush. I was smarter than that; I had better things to do than crush on Chad Danforth.

I rolled on my back and started at the ceiling. I couldn't fall asleep because of all the thinking. I looked around the room and noticed it was too bright in there. I looked through my balcony door and saw Chad standing on his balcony. He was wearing a tank top and baggy boxer shorts. The light in his room was turned on, that's why my room was all lighted up. I turned to my side and looked at him. He was pacing around, shaking his hands nervously as if he was talking. I tried to listen, but I couldn't hear anything through the closed door. I continued doing that for a few seconds and then stopped. He walked up to the balustrade and leaned against it. He seemed depressed. I wanted to get up and talk to him, but I stopped myself. I decided to see what he'd do next.

He looked in my direction, actually at my balcony. He stared at it for a moment then went back into his room. The light turned off shortly after that.

I was surprised by his unusual behavior, but I decided not to do anything. I guessed we were just going to have another sleepless night.

Taylor M.


	18. Chapter 18

April was one of my favorite months of the year. I don't know why, but it just was. Maybe because the weather was getting warmer; I didn't have to wear heavy jackets or warm scarves. Or maybe just because the world seemed more happy while it was sunny outside.

Either way I wasn't going to enjoy all the sun as much as I wanted to, because the end of the school year was right around the corner and I had to make sure all my grades stayed high; I wasn't going to let even one slip a little.

After classes I went to my locker to leave some of my books. It was finally Friday, the beginning of the weekend. I would finally have some time for peaceful studying… Once I got home, of course.

'What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?' someone asked. I lifted my head up and saw Chad walking towards me. I rolled my eyes.

It's been a week since the after party; a week since our kiss. To be honest I thought it would make everything between us awkward, especially because of the talk on how we felt about each other… But it didn't. We didn't really get back to that; we both pretended it didn't happen. For some reason it seemed like the best thing to do.

'And what are you, the "corridor guard"?' I asked sarcastically, which made him laugh.

'No, but if I was, you'd be in trouble' he said jokingly and leaned on the locker next to mine.

'If I _were_' I corrected as I opened my bag. 'Subjunctive.'

He chuckled. 'Wow, you're still a "Grammar Nazi", aren't ya?' he asked and smiled.

'Or what I like to call it: "knowing English"' I replied viciously and took some books out of my bag. Chad laughed again.

'Alright, alright. I get it. I'm stupid. Can we just deal with it and stop pointing it out?'

'Depends' I said and looked at him. 'Does it bother you when I mock you about it?'

'Yeah, a bit.'

'Hmmm… Then no' I replied and smiled evilly. He chuckled and shook his head.

'You're mean, mean person' he said jokingly.

'I know… but thanks' I said, as if I took what he told me as a compliment.

He laughed. 'Anyways, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your extra Chemistry or whatever it's called?'

'Chemistry Club. And yes, I should. However, I can't because our teacher got sick and we were sent home. Hence my presence here.'

'Oh… Well, that's good, huh? You're free for this week.'

'True. But on the other hand, we should be practicing for the big quiz in two weeks.'

'Oh, come on. You're smart, you have nothing to worry about. You know all that Chemistry stuff by heart.'

'I might know all the "Chemistry stuff" by heart, because I have to practice with you three times a week because you're, approximately, 2 years behind everyone' I said as I opened my locker. He laughed. 'But what we do in the Chemistry Club is way more advanced.'

'Oh, excuse me, Madame Curie' he said jokingly. I gave him an annoyed look.

'I'm surprised you even know who that is.'

'It might seem like I don't care, but I do listen… sometimes at least.'

'Whatever. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on the practice?'

'Yeah, I was on my way there but then I saw you and thought I could be a minute late' he said and smiled.

'Of course, you haven't annoyed me enough today' I said sarcastically and smiled.

'Exactly' he replied and we both laughed.

While I was putting the books in my locker, I spotted a red piece of paper. I smiled, left my books in there and took it out. I opened it and that's what it said:

_To Taylor,  
>You're so beautiful,<br>It keeps me awake.  
>But when we're apart,<br>It makes my heart ache._

_B.D._

I was seconds away from melting all over the floor. I smiled and sighed.

'What's that?' Chad asked and looked at the paper. 'Oh, I get it. It's another one of "those".'

'Yup. Third one this month' I said and closed my locker. I was still smiling.

'Wow, that guy's really into you… Don't you think it's creepy?'

Of course he had to go there. He had to ruin my little perfect moment with his stupid theories. I gave him an angry look.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'I don't know…' he said and shrugged. 'Don't you think it's weird… That he keeps sending you notes instead of asking you out?'

'Nope, I think it's cute' I said shortly and lifted my bag off the floor. He gave me a confused look.

'Wait, do you really think so? Wow, who are you and what have you done to that cold hearted girl named Taylor McKessie?'

'Cold hearted? Oh please, like you're any better. And no, I think it's neither weird nor creepy. I think he's just really shy, that's it.'

'Oh, of course. So what, you're just gonna wait for him to like pop out of nowhere and, maybe, ask you out?' he asked sarcastically.

'Yes, that pretty much sums up my plan.'

'Oh come on, Taylor! What if he's really shy and he's not gonna ask you out? Or what if you find someone else?'

I gave him a suspicious look. 'Who do you mean?'

'I don't know, I'm just saying… hypothetically.'

'Wow, that's a big word' I said with fake amazement and started walking down the hall. He rolled his eyes and ran after me.

'Wait' he said as he ran up to me. I stopped walking and looked at him. 'What will you do then?'

I thought about it for a moment. Why was he asking me that? It seemed as if he had some personal business concerning my problem with B.D.

'I don't know. I didn't really think about it that way' I admitted. 'But, nevertheless, I would like him to finally stop being anonymous. I mean, what if I like someone else? What if they ask me out? I can't just say "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for my anonymous admirer to reveal his identity". That would be insane.'

'So what you're saying is that, if someone else came along, you'd go out with them?'

'Despite the fact that I'm still having a secret admirer, yes' I finished.

'Oh, alright…' he said.

'Why are you asking anyway?'

'No reason. I just wanted to know' he answered and put his hands in his pockets. I gave him another suspicious look.

'You know what, I think you're hiding something' I said seriously. I was already tired of him asking me all the questions, as if it all concerned him too.

'What?' he asked with a surprised tone.

'Yes, you heard me. I think you know something and you're hiding it from me.'

'Oh come on, Tay!'

'Don't "Tay" me' I said seriously and he sighed. 'And don't lie to me.'

'Okay, then don't make me lie to you' he answered. I gave him a surprised look.

'How am I making you lie?' I asked, sort of insulted.

'By asking all the questions I don't want to answer.'

'Okay, you know what? Forget it. Forget we ever mentioned that!' I threw my hands up and started walking down the corridor. He ran up to me and stopped me.

'Wait, Tay…' he said and I looked at him. 'I'm sorry… I just… I can't tell you… not right now.'

I sighed. He was clearly hiding something and it drove me crazy. Why couldn't he just tell me what it was?

I opened my mouth to answer, but I got interrupted by someone.

'Hey guys, what are you doing here?' someone asked. We looked around and saw Gaby and Troy walking towards us.

'Oh, I was just asking Taylor if she's coming to the practice' Chad said fast.

'And?' Gaby asked me once they walked up to us. 'Are you coming?'

'Well, since Chemistry was called off and I need to wait for my dad… Yeah, I guess I'll stay' I said and shrugged.

'Awesome' Troy said and smiled. 'Come on man, let's go. We're late anyway.'

'True. See ya guys there!' Chad said and they ran towards the gym.

'Did we interrupt something?' Gaby asked with a smirk once the boys were out of sight. I rolled my eyes.

'Gaby, please. What could I possibly be doing with Chad?'

'Hm, gosh, I don't know' she said sarcastically and smiled. 'Maybe kissing?'

'Shhh!' I whispered. 'Someone might hear you.'

She laughed. 'Okay, okay. Sorry.'

'Plus, that was only once and because of the bet. I would never kiss him if I didn't have to.'

'Oh really?' she asked and I gave her an angry look. 'Okay, you wouldn't.' She winked at me and laughed. I rolled my eyes again.

'Stop it.'

She laughed and we slowly started walking towards the school yard. Since it was really warm outside, my dad decided to move the practice there.

We found a peaceful place, high up on the tribune and we situated there. The practice lasted for around an hour and a half, so I chose to look through my Chemistry book while Gaby just started at her boyfriend running around the court.

'I could sit here forever' Gaby said and smiled dreamily. 'The view is just amazing.'

'Don't you have a boyfriend?' I asked while reading a paragraph about ionic bonds.

'I'm talking about my boyfriend' he replied and we both giggled. I shook my head and continued reading. 'Just sitting here is relaxing. The sun is shining, we're in a warm shade, the birds are singing, we have a clear view of 20 really hot guys… I mean, does it get better than that?'

I laughed. 'Depends what you mean. Do I enjoy the weather? Yes. But do I enjoy staring at 20 really sweaty teenagers? Not so much' I said.

Gaby laughed and shook her head. 'You need to learn how to appreciate the little things in life.'

'Like what for example?'

'Like… sure, they probably stink right now. But we are far enough not to mind. You can just focus on their looks' she said smiled. I giggled and flipped the page in the book.

'Alright, when you put it like that… I think I could force myself to enjoy it.'

Gaby smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. 'See? It's not so hard.'

We both laughed and got back to what we were previously doing. However, our peace was interrupted shortly after that. We were distracted by the sound of squealing cheerleaders.

I looked up and saw them walking alongside the court. They were pointing at the guys, who of course paused the practice to wave at them.

'Ugh, great. Looks like the heavenly peace is over' I said and rolled my eyes.

'Ugh, I know. I hate those skanks… Well I don't hate them, I despise them.'

'I know it's probably quite obvious, but… why?' I asked.

'They are always all over Troy… like hungry hyenas' she said and sighed.

'Don't worry, no matter how hard they try, they won't make Troy forget about you' I said and smiled. Her face brightened up.

'You think?'

'Yeah, he's better than that.'

'Thanks Tay.'

'No problem' I said and smiled at her.

Meanwhile the group of cheerleaders, 17 of them to be exact, sat down at the bottom of the tribune and probably discussed some irrelevant things.

I got back to reading the book, but from the corner of my eye I could see Gaby was looking at them with a sad face.

'People like that are a disgrace to the human race… and especially to the female gender' I pointed out.

'You think all cheerleaders are evil?' Gaby asked while not taking her eyes off them.

'No, no I don't… It's just certain individuals and their behavior that created such awful stereotypes for that social group.'

'That group over there has at least 10 such "individuals".'

I smiled. 'I know, Gaby. I know.'

Gaby sighed and stretched her legs on the seats in front of us. 'Why is Chad on the bench?'

I slightly lifted my head up and my eyes searched for Chad. It wasn't hard to find him, especially because of the afro.

'I don't know' I said and shrugged. 'I guess it's because of his leg. I heard it hurts sometimes.'

'Well he recovered quite fast… A week after they had taken his cast off, he was running around like nothing ever happened to him.'

'What can you do? He didn't take care of himself and now he has to sit on the bench' I summed up and looked down at my book.

'He doesn't really seem to mind it… The hyenas are all over him.'

'There you have it. Mr. Danforth in his natural habit: on a basketball court, surrounded with cheerleaders.'

'Oh, do I sense some jealousy in your tone?' Gaby asked and smiled. I shook my head.

'I don't know, but I'm definitely not jealous.'

'Come on! Everyone knows that you have bigger chances with him than all these girls put together.'

I looked up at her. 'And I should care, because…?'

'You like him.'

'A little!' I corrected. 'Only a little.'

'What difference does it make?'

'A big one, because instead of being down there and hanging myself on him as if I was desperate for attention, I'm up here talking to you' I explained.

'Doesn't mean you wouldn't want to be down there, talking to him.'

'Even if, I have some respect for myself… unlike them.'

'True that.'

I took the last look at Chad. I hate to admit it, but it did make me feel sort of… jealous. I just knew how he used his natural, inborn charm on girls. I mean, it even made me blush sometimes. And he was a little naive when it came to girls. I got kinda upset, because I imagined all those cheerleaders seducing him and finally stealing him from me… Wait, what?

'At least they're not all over Troy' Gaby said. I just nodded and looked down at my book. 'Oh, Chad went back to playing.'

'Probably got bored with the girls' I said and smiled to myself. I envied all the attention the girls received from Chad, so I was glad that he left them there. Damn, why was I taking it so personally?

'I guess… Hey, what are you reading anyways?'

'Just the chapter about ionic bonds.'

'Why?' she asked and looked at the book. 'That's like kindergarten things.'

'I know, that's why I was practicing it with Chad' I said and we both giggled. 'But this stuff is so easy, I got a little confused while I was explaining it to him. I got it mixed up with covalent bond and I realized it half way through. That's why I decided to refresh my memory a little.'

'Got it mixed up? Taylor, that never happens to you' she said seriously.

'I know. But he started telling me about that one movie he saw and I couldn't focus. Too much jibber jabber, I got distracted.'

'Awww, maybe you were just lost in his eyes?' she asked and smirked. I shook my head.

'I'm not talking to you anymore' I said seriously and continued reading. Gaby laughed.

'I know I'm right.'

When I finally managed to sink into the chapter about ionic bonds, I drifted away for a while. It wasn't like drifting away while reading a book with an actual plot, but when I studied, I tried to imagine what I was reading. It sounds odd, but it actually helped me understand what I was reading.

Unfortunately, I got interrupted. The cheerleaders started squealing again. I rolled my eyes.

'What's their problem now?' I asked while not taking my eyes off the book.

'I don't know, I guess it's probably because Chad decided to take his jersey off' Gaby explained.

The first thing that came to my mind was to look at him. However, I stopped myself. It took a lot of struggle, but I managed not to look at him.

'_Pfff, I don't need to look at him_' I thought. '_I'm not like those girls down there. I'm not interested in him at all; I have absolutely no reason to see him shirtless… Plus, what's there to see? Probably nothing. I bet he's really skinny and has no abs whatsoever._'

I tried to get back to reading, but after reading the same sentence for about seven times, I decided to give it up.

'_I could just look, nothing would happen, right? And if he's got nothing there, I could always use that against him some other time. Make fun of him or something. He would probably stop being so bigheaded about himself._'

I made up my mind and decided I'd look at him. I tried not to be obvious, so I just slightly raised my head and my eyes searched for him. I found him standing near the 3 point line. And, surprisingly, I was wrong. There was a lot to look at. Smoothly shaped abdominals (which popped out when he laughed)… His arms were "equipped" with nicely shaped biceps and triceps and all that good stuff, which I never really realized before. He also definitely had a swimmer's back, meaning it widened towards the top… That's probably the first time I understood that broad shoulders and visible trapezium muscles were what attracted me…

'You like what you see?' Gaby asked and smirked. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her.

'What?'

'I see you staring at Chad.'

'I wasn't… staring… I was just… examining' I defended myself.

'Oh really? And?'

'Nothing' I answered and shrugged. 'It's not that bad.'

Gaby laughed. 'Yeah, right.'

I looked down at my book and tried to focus, but that wasn't really working out so I decided to look at Chad again. This time more discreetly, of course.

'_It's really not that bad…. It's actually really good… For a teenager. It could always be better, of course_' I thought while staring at him. I really wanted to stop, but for some reason I couldn't. That was until he caught me staring at him. He scanned the tribune with his eyes and stopped on me. I realized he knew I was staring at him and my eyes widened, but he just smiled at me. I rapidly looked down at the book. I was so embarrassed.

When my dad blew the whistle to indicate that the practice was over, Gabriella and I got up and climbed off the tribune.

'I'm surprised you two didn't fall asleep up there' my dad joked as we walked up to him. 'Did you enjoy yourself?'

'Taylor did' Gaby joked and patted me on the back. I rolled my eyes.

'Don't listen to her dad, all that heat is making her delusional. She doesn't know what she's saying.'

'Alright, because I really don't want to know what she was talking about' my dad said and Gaby laughed. I just smiled and looked down.

'Hey Taylor' someone called me. I turned around to see who it was. My eyes stopped at the chest I've been staring at a moment ago. Yes, it was indeed Chad.

'Umm… yeah?' I asked and looked up at him. He had his hair tied back and his jersey was hanging on his shoulder.

He smiled. 'Could you look out for my watch? I just got it and if I lose it, my parents will murder me' he explained as he handed me the watch. I took it from him and looked at it.

'Yeah, sure.'

'Cool… I'll pick it up after I change. Thanks a lot, you're awesome' he said and made his way towards the school. I watched him walk away. When he passed by the cheerleaders, they all simultaneously said "Hey Chad". He just nodded at them and continued walking. I smiled and turned to Gaby.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing' I replied.

I waited for Chad in front of the school for 15 minutes. My dad and Tony left earlier, so I missed a ride home. I told them to go without me, because I had to return the watch to Chad. I was slowly getting irritated because he knew I was waiting for him, yet he decided to take forever in the locker room.

Finally, the door opened and I saw Chad walking out with a few other guys. He said bye to them, put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards me. I crossed my arms and gave him a mad look.

'17 minutes!' I said once he was a few steps away from me. '17 minutes.'

'I know, I know and I'm sorry. I had to take a shower' he explained. I rolled my eyes.

'And that took you so long?'

'Yeah, I guess…'

'Ugh, my sister takes that long' I said and started walking. He followed me.

'Wait, with or without all that make up stuff?'

'Well, without…'

'Then that wasn't so bad!' he joked, but I just ignored him. 'Okay, I'll have you know that maintaining this hair is not as easy as it seems.'

'Then cut it' I said, even though I didn't really mean it.

'Oh, I couldn't do that… I'd lose all my charm' he kept joking.

'You're such a diva, it's unbelievable.'

He laughed. 'I guess…'

'Here's your watch' I said, reached to my pocket and took his watch out. He smiled and took it from me.

'Thanks' he said and put it on his wrist. 'Don't you wanna know why I asked _you_ to look out for it?'

I normally wouldn't care, but since he stretched the word "you", it caught my attention. 'Why?' I asked.

'I just didn't know how to make you stay after the practice… so we could talk… you know, in private.'

My heart stopped for a second, but I didn't stop walking. I just cleared my throat and decided to play it cool. 'What do you want to talk about?'

'I wanted to apologize… for acting weird. And for not telling you the whole truth.'

I stopped walking and looked at him. 'Does that mean you are willing to tell me the whole truth now?'

He chuckled. 'No, I just wanted to apologize. That's all.'

I shook my head and we continued walking. 'It's okay, I'm not gonna interrogate you anymore.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. You don't want to tell me anything, but that's alright. I don't care anyways.'

'Oh, alright then… Good' he said quietly and we continued walking in silence.

Yes, he was acting weird. And yes, it drove me insane. I hate it when people are going to tell me something and then suddenly change their minds. But I sort of accepted the fact that he wasn't going to tell me anything unless he really wanted to.

'Anyways' Chad broke the silence. 'How would you rate my six-pack?'

I widened my eyes and looked at him. 'Excuse me?'

He laughed. 'Oh come on, I know you were staring at me. I saw you.'

'What-? I mean, no! I wasn't staring. I was looking. And when you decide to expose your bare torso to the public, you can't blame people for looking' I said and looked away, so he couldn't see me blush.

'Hey, it's alright. I'm not blaming you for anything. I'm used to girls staring at me. I'm just surprised it was you…'

'I was watching the team play, not my fault you looked at me the same time I looked at you.'

Chad laughed again. 'Oh, so it was just an accident?' he asked. I nodded.

'Yup, it happens.'

'What are the odds… that you were staring at me while I looked at you? When there were like 100 other people around… and you were looking only at me.'

I stopped walking and turned to him. 'What's your point?'

'Oh, you're not gonna like that.'

'Just tell me.'

He chuckled, looked around as if he was thinking and looked back at me. 'You like me, don't you?' he asked. I froze.

'_Oh God, not this again_' I thought. '_Why does he keep doing that?_'

I thought it through and only one thing came to my mind. 'I told you already.'

'Then say it again' he said shortly. It seemed like he was testing me or something. I bit my lips

'I… don't… I don't… like you' I stuttered. 'Okay, there, I said it. Can we stop discussing that?'

'Okay Taylor, don't get mad… I just asked.'

I rolled my eyes and we continued walking. 'You asked me that already… why ask again?'

'Because I just wanted to know… I thought you maybe changed your mind after the kiss' he said jokingly.

'You're never going to get over this, right?' I asked. He chuckled.

'Nope' he said and smiled.

'You kissed like dozens of girls in your life and all of the sudden this is like a milestone, huh?' I asked sarcastically. He laughed and shrugged.

'I guess… I mean, it's the first time a girl kissed me.'

I looked at him seriously. 'That was because I had to, not because I wanted to.'

'But you didn't have to.'

'I didn't know that… I had no idea you'd forget.'

'Doesn't really matter now… you kissed me.'

'I will regret this till the end of my life' I said and shook my head.

'Yup. And also, I'll make sure you never, ever forget it' he kept teasing me. I finally came up with a comeback and smiled.

'Oh, I won't… I will tell my grandchildren what it was like to kiss a caveman' I said and smiled evilly. He laughed.

'I think you mean a basketball player.'

'Same thing' I replied which made him laugh again.

'Well anyways, that's going to be the best story they will ever hear' he said and smiled.

'Yup, definitely' I said when we stopped in front of my house.

'And also, if by any chance I become super famous and you see me on television, don't be afraid to tell your husband or whatever that you "kissed that awfully handsome man who scored 80 points for his team"' he joked. I laughed.

'Yeah, I'll keep that in mind… though I doubt I would be watching you score all those points.'

'Of course you would… Wouldn't you want to see how I changed? Meaning, if I'm any hotter than I was in high school.'

I laughed again. 'That seems like a fair reason.'

'So we have a deal for the future?'

'Sure. Just if you ever, once we grow up, see me in public, don't tell anyone I kissed you, please' I begged jokingly.

'Okay, you're right… I mean, we don't want to make the groupies jealous' he said and smiled.

'No, we don't want to do that' I joked. 'See you later.'

I fixed my bag and I was about to go home, but he stopped me.

'Wait… You know what, I really liked having that bet with you… I mean, it was obvious I would win… So how about we have another one?' he suggested. I crossed my arms and thought about it.

'Well, even if we did, we would have to bet over something uneasy for you…'

'Oh, I got it! Let's say that if I pass this school year, you kiss me again.'

I laughed. 'No way. That's too simple… How about, I kiss you if you receive the Nobel Prize for Physics?' I joked.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. 'Yeah right. I'm serious. How about… You have to kiss me if I get a C from Math on my final report?

'C? Come on, you can do better than that' I admitted. 'How about a B?'

'B? That's too high!' he whined.

'Well, if you really want me to kiss you again, you need to try harder… That's a good motivation to get a higher grade, huh?'

He thought about it for a moment, meanwhile I couldn't believe in what I was doing. Was I really making another bet with him? Would I have to kiss him again? Did I lose my mind?

'Alright, B it is…' he agreed. 'Deal?'

'Deal' I replied and turned around to leave, but he stopped me by grabbing my hand. I faced him and we stared at each other for a moment… or maybe two.

'Ummm, sorry' he said shyly and let go of my hand. 'We didn't "seal" the bet.'

'What do you want us to do, spit on our hands and high five each other?' I asked sarcastically, but he just smiled. I loved that whatever I said to him, no matter if it was mean or just sarcastic, he would never take me seriously and never get offended.

'Nah, we can just shake hands' he suggested and pulled his hand out. I looked down at his hand and then back at him.

'Fine' I said and shook his hand. 'Is it okay now?'

'Yeah, it is' he said and smiled. I took my hand away.

'Bye now' I said, turned around and started walking towards my front door. I left him standing near the mailbox, with his hands in his pockets and a huge smile on his face.

I don't really know what happened to me and why exactly agreed to have another "kissing bet" with him, but it was too late to take that back. I promised myself that, no matter how hard it would be, I'd force him get that B on his final report.

Taylor M.

* * *

><p>Yup, another update like a day before it was meant to be updated. To be honest, it's all happening because I didn't go to school yet hahah I'm so bored at home, all I can do is write :)<br>I do have a lot of free time, but all that "not-going-to-school-yet" thing is making me feel really weird, that's why this chapter was a little... meh. :/  
>I don't know, it sounded good in my head, but that was just one idea unlike the other chapters, which had more stuff going on. This one is just... simple I guess. I've been having this weird writer's block this whole week, that's why this chapter was a mess. But I promise to sit down, reevaluate my ideas and (hopefully) write a better one next week. :)<br>For now I'm leaving you with this I hope you don't mind haha

Feel free to review ;)

~TheCreativePenguinLover


	19. Chapter 19

OMG I'M BACK! haha :D

Well I know most of you thought I was dead and I actually died... like inside, because 3 weeks ago I finally went to school hahaha (two weeks later than everyone, but still). And since it happened all of the sudden, I was in this sort of shock and it was really stressing and writing was the last thing I felt like doing. I had completely no time to work on this and I totally blocked. :(  
>But now I'm back with a new chapter so YAY!<br>I'm still trying to get used to the school and it's quite far away from where I live, takes me a while to get home from school... I need to work it all out, meaning kind of find time to do all the homework PLUS writing this story... So that probably means I'll go back to updating like once every 2 weeks with some exceptions because, who knows, I might get creative and write a whole chapter in one day :3

But for now I give you this and I hope you like it. Another messy chapter, but I really wanted to get it done fast for you! :)

Feel free to review :D

~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>Towards the end of the school year things started getting weird. Everything that was happening around me was really odd.<p>

It was a sunny, warm, May day. I was walking home from school, not even imagining what was about to happen after I entered my house. Nothing, since the morning until the afternoon, indicated that that day was going to be one of those days I will never forget.

I closed the front door behind myself and took a look around the hall and the living room. No one was there. I slid the backpack off my back, took my shoes off and made my way to the kitchen. I was surprised when I saw no one there.

'I'm home!' I called and waited for an answer, but no one replied. I knew that Mom was at work; Dad and Tony were still at school… but was Destiny at work? I figured she was, so I shrugged and headed to my room.

When I was already upstairs, I took another look around just to make sure I was alone. I quietly passed my parents' bedroom, but I stopped at Destiny's door. I heard silent sobbing coming from inside. I knocked on the door.

'What?!' she yelled furiously.

'It's Taylor' I replied.

'Leave me alone!' she cried and continued sobbing. I hesitated for a moment, but I finally found the courage to open the door and peek inside. I saw her lying on her bed with her head buried deep in the pillow.

'Hey…' I said quietly. She lifted her head up, revealing her smeared makeup. She definitely was crying.

'I told you to leave me alone!' she said strictly and sat up. She looked away from me and tried to wipe her face.

'What's wrong?' I asked and leaned on the doorframe.

'None of your business. Get out!' she ordered. I sighed, picked up the box of tissues from her desk, walked up to her and handed it to her.

'Wanna talk about it?'

'Do I _look_ like I wanna talk about it?' she asked and gave me an ironic look. I was about to laugh my head off, because the look on her face was hilarious but I didn't dare to even smile. The situation seemed serious.

'I don't know…' I replied quietly. Destiny rolled her eyes and pulled the box out of my hand.

'Great, I feel so much better now, thanks. Now go away' she said in a mean tone and wiped her eyes. I sat next to her.

'Is it about Jerome?' I asked.

'No… well yeah…. I don't know. I have no idea' she said and her eyes stated to tear up again.

'What happened?'

'I don't know… Look' she said and got up. She picked up her purse from the ground, looked through it and found something.

'What is it?' I asked curiously. She sighed and handed it to me. I didn't take it from her, I just took a better look at it. The object seemed familiar, yet I couldn't really identify it. 'I don't get it.'

'Oh come on Taylor! You're smart, figure it out. Don't make me say it out loud' she begged. I took another look at it, but again I couldn't remember what it was. I looked up at her and shook my head.

'Sorry…'

'Oh God!' she whined. 'I'm fucking pregnant, you genius.'

My eyes widened. I looked back at the previously unknown object, which now I recognized as a pregnancy test. I was shocked, I couldn't believe in what she just told me.

'Are you sure?' I asked. She rolled her eyes one again.

'Yes! At least according to the instructions… I am!' she cried.

'What now?' I asked. I really couldn't think of anything else to say.

'Nothing. I'm dead' she replied and hid her face in her hands.

'Why?'

'I'm pregnant' she said seriously. 'Mom and Dad will kill me.'

'Why would they? You're a grown up. They would kill me for that, but not you…'

'They won't kill me because of the baby… they'll kill me because I'm stupid. I let a guy knock me up. I'm not married. Hell, I still live with my parents.'

'So move out' I suggested. She lifted her head up and looked at me.

'I can't…'

'Why not? Can't you move in with Jerome?'

'Nope, he lives with his 3 "buddies"…'

'Okay, then can't you both rent a place?'

'I don't think so…'

'Why not?'

'Because I think we broke up…'

'Wait, what? When? What happened?' I asked. My sister sighed and looked down.

'I told him I was pregnant today, when I was over at his place… He refused to believe me… he said that it's not his baby…' she said and tears started coming to her eyes again.

'Is it his baby…?' I asked slowly. Destiny gave me a furious look.

'Of course it is! For the past year I've only slept with him! Plus, excuse me, but I don't cheat' she defended herself. I bit my lips and looked down.

'What now?' I asked after a moment. She sighed and looked out of the window.

'Nothing. I'm fucked' she ironically summed up.

'No, you're not' I tried to cheer her up. 'You just have to tell Mom and Dad, they'll help yo-'

'Are you crazy?!' she cut me off. 'I can't tell them!'

'Why not?'

'They will murder me. Do you understand? _Murder_' she stressed. I knew that she was scared, however telling our parents seemed like the only rational thing to do.

'You have to tell them' I kept convincing. 'They won't kill you, they might get mad or something-'

'And kick me out' she finished. I gave her a surprised look.

'Do you think they could really do that?' I asked.

'I don't know' she answered and shrugged. 'Dad's nuts. He might do anything to punish me.'

'What about Mom? She'll stand up for you, don't worry…'

'Yeah, well I don't think so. She stood up for me when I got an F from Science… or when I got suspended from school. But when she finds out I'm pregnant, she sure won't be cheering for me.'

I sighed. As crazy as all that sounded, we both knew that our parents were unpredictable, especially when it came to big things, such as this one.

'So when will you tell them?' I asked her. 'I mean, you have to tell them one day…'

'I don't know… If I tell them today, I'm out of here by Wednesday.'

I looked down and my feet and started thinking of a solution. There was no justification to what Destiny did and she was most likely to get hell from Dad, however I wanted to stand up for her somehow.

'I know!' I said and looked up at her. 'If they kick you out, I'm going with you.'

'What?'

'I'll move out with you. You know, as a protest' I said and smiled. She rolled her eyes.

'You idiot, you can't go with me. They won't let you… Plus, would you really want to leave a warm house with food supply and move in with your broke, pregnant sister?'

'Well, I won't lie, it sounded way better in my head…. But yeah. I mean, if they decide to kick you out, they will break all unwritten rules of parenting… Everything I stand for will be crashed… No reason for me to live here.'

My sister gave me a confused look. Suddenly, a warm smile hit her face. She shook her head and put her arm around me.

'You're so nice Taylor' she said and rubbed my arm. 'Too nice. Stop doing that, because you'll grow up to be a sucker like the rest of nice people. That's first of all, second of all no way I'm letting you go down with me. It's my problem, I screwed up and I guess sooner or later I'll have to tell them… But I don't want you to get involved because you don't need trouble with them. Okay?'

'But, what if-' I started, but she cut me off.

'No "ifs". If they kick me out, they kick me out. I'll find a place, don't worry. You stay here, finish school and later we can talk about it, okay?'

I looked at her and smiled. 'Would you really want to live with me?'

'Hey, I need someone to clean up after me' she said and smiled. I giggled.

'So not happening.'

'You'll see, you'll be so desperate to move out of here that you will do whatever I tell you' she kept joking. 'But for now… let's keep this a secret, okay? I'll tell them… just not yet.'

'Got it' I said obediently. 'If you wanna keep it a secret, you better get rid of this'

I pulled away and pointed at the pregnancy test. Destiny sighed and looked at it miserably.

'You're right' she said and got up. 'I'll throw it away.'

She grabbed the test from her bed and threw it into the bin.

'They might find it… Oh, I know! Take the garbage out! They won't be looking outside' I advised.

'Yes, you're right!' she admitted. 'But you need to go and take it out… I'm a mess.'

I nodded, got up and did as she told me. I ran out of the house and threw the almost full bag into the container outside. I looked around to make sure my parents were not returning home yet and made my way back to the house.

'Hey Taylor' someone called. 'Wait!'

I stopped walking and turned my head to see who was calling me. It was Chad. I discretely rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. He jumped over the fence that was between our yards and ran up to me.

'What's up?' I asked as politely as I could.

'Ummm, nothing really, just… Do you have a minute? I wanna talk to you' he said shyly. I gave him a suspicious look.

'Can it wait?' I asked. He looked down and was about to slide his hands into his pockets, but changed his mind and balled his fists instead.

'Um, well… It's kinda important, you know…' he replied. He looked into my eyes. From his face I could tell he was really determined... to do something, I just didn't know what.

'I bet it is, but right now we're having… I don't know, sort of a "family crisis"…' I explained. His face went a little pale and he looked down again.

'Oh, I understand… Then maybe… I was wondering if you-' he started, but got cut off by Destiny.

'Hey Taylor, you there?' she called as she opened the front door. Her eyes widened when she saw Chad. She hid behind the door, because she was "a mess", meaning her make-up was all smeared.

'Yeah, I'm coming in a second' I replied.

'Okay, I'll wait for you…' she said and closed the door. I sighed and looked back at Chad.

'Oh, I get it now… Is everything okay, though?' he asked.

'I don't know… It's complicated' I summed it up. He nodded his head and put his hands into his pockets.

'I hope you guys manage to solve it' he said and smiled warmly. 'And if you need to talk to someone, I'm right there.'

He pointed at his house, which made me giggle.

'I know, thanks…' I said shyly.

'I'll get going now' he said after a moment of silence. 'I'll see you later.'

I nodded and he slowly started walking away… as if he was walking slowly on purpose. Instead of going home, I stood there and watched him walk. I guess I wanted to find out why he was acting funny. Finally I remembered something.

'Chad, wait' I said. He instantly stopped walking and rapidly turned to me. His faced lightened up.

'Yeah?'

'Would you mind if we cancelled the tutoring today? You know, because of…' I said and looked at my house. Chad sighed and shook his head.

'Of course not' he said and he smiled a little.

'Thanks. I promise I'll make it up to you' I said like an angel. He chuckled.

'You will have to' he joked.

'Bye' I said, waved at him and went back into my house.

'I'm going through a mental breakdown here and you, instead of being here for me, you're out there flirting with the Fuzzy dude' Destiny complained when I walked into the living room. I shook my head and fell on the couch.

'His name is Chad… and I wasn't flirting with him… we were just talking' I explained.

'Is that what it's called now? Talking?' Destiny kept teasing me. I rolled my eyes.

'Stop it' I begged her. She giggled.

'Come on, let me have my fun before mom and dad rip my limbs off' she said and smiled. I giggled. It was great to see her smile for the first time that day.

Suddenly the front door opened. We turned our heads and saw Mom walk in.

'Hey mom' we both said. She smiled.

'Hey girls. I bet you're hungry.'

'You have no idea!' Destiny cried and pretended to be fainting. Mom laughed.

'I'm sure that if you weren't so lazy, you wouldn't be hungry right now.'

'Yeah, that's probably true… but I wanted to keep some space for your amazing steak, Ma'' my sister said and smiled like an angel. Mom laughed once again.

'Of course you did… Oh, guess what. When I pulled up, I met Ms. Rossi. She told me she was going to the doctor to find out her baby's gender. She was really nervous, but also excited. I remember I was too. I thought that after two kids it would go away, but guess what. It didn't' Mom said and smiled at me.

'And what else did she say?' I asked, just to drag her attention away from Destiny, who was looking down and holding back tears. I knew that it was enough for Mom to look at her once and she'd already know something was wrong.

'Nothing really, that's basically all she told me… She was in hurry. Have you seen her recently? Her tummy is really round now.'

'Yeah, I've seen her like a few days ago' I said. 'Did she say what she'd prefer? Boy or girl?'

'Oh Taylor, a mother can't say such things… But I believe that she'd most probably want a girl, I mean she already has a son.'

'Yeah, that's true.'

'Unless she wants another boy. Chad's a really nice, mannered young man. Who wouldn't want to have another son like that?'

'Would you want Tony be like that?' Destiny asked suddenly. She discretely wiped her eyes and looked up at Mom. 'Because let's face it, he's none of those things.'

I giggled and our mother shook her head.

'As much as I would like a son like that… I wouldn't exchange Tony for anyone. He might have some behavior problems, but he's a great boy.'

'Yeah, sure Mom… But he's not here, you can tell us the truth' Des kept joking. Mom shook her head once again.

'Okay, enough of this. I'll go make you guys something to eat' she said and headed towards the kitchen.

'Go tell her' I whispered to my sister. She gave me a shocked look.

'What?' she whispered back.

'Tell her now, tell her before Dad gets back home' I advised. She looked down and thought about it.

'You're right… wish me luck' she said and got up, but stopped at the door and looked at me.

'Go do it!' I ordered. She nodded and took a deep breath.

'Mom, I need to talk to you' Destiny said and made her way to the kitchen. I sighed and decided to go to my room and wait for the outcome.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, probably Saturday, I'm not sure. I was in my room writing an essay about radiation. Even though I had it all planned out in my notes, meaning what I was going to write and how I was going to compare standing too close to a microwave and the Chernobyl Disaster, I just couldn't form a meaningful sentence. It seemed like everything has just evaporated out of my head, or as if all the previous knowledge has been replaced by other things. Of course the second scenario was way more probable and that is what actually happened.

There was an ongoing war between my Dad and my sister. Destiny was right in her pessimistic predictions; as soon as she told him she was going to have a baby, he told her to pack her things and move into her boyfriend's house. Mom, who wasn't proud of what happened to Destiny but who decided to support her, said it was an absurd and that Des wasn't going anywhere. They got into a great fight which was ended by Mom telling Daddy that "if someone was going to leave this house, it was him unless he came back to his senses". They didn't talk to each other for a long while, because, as Mom explained it, she wanted Dad to cool off and eventually they could get back to that topic. Until then Destiny wasn't leaving the house.

However, the fight between my parents wasn't the thing that bothered me. I understood they were both really upset about the whole situation and we all expected them to be. The matter that didn't leave my mind was Destiny. I have never seen her so depressed. She blamed herself for everything, meaning Mom and Dad fighting and being angry all the time, but also her boyfriend leaving her. I tried to tell her that it wasn't true, but that didn't help. She was convinced that all the bad things were her fault.

I folded my arms on the desk and rested my head on them. Since I failed to focus on radioactivity, I decided to think about everything that was happening. I was home alone and I could easily take a nap, however I was too lazy to get up and walk to my bed.

Since my eyes were closed, I was slowly starting to get sleepy. I lifted my head up and wiped my eyes. I realized that it was only 1pm and no one who is 16 years old has a reason to take naps in the day. I got up to open the window; I figured some fresh air could wake me up. When I opened the window, I heard the sound of a bouncing basketball. I was surprised to hear it, especially because Tony was supposed to be out with his friends. I leaned out to see where the sound was coming from. Obviously it was coming from the Danforth back yard. I smiled to myself when I saw Chad's frizzy head. He was practicing shooting by himself. I stared at him for a moment when I felt to sudden urge to… go downstairs and talk to him. I didn't think it through; I kicked the door open and ran downstairs. I stopped in the hall to put my shoes on and check how I looked in the mirror. I didn't look as tired as I felt. I put my hair down and went out of the house. I walked passed our garage, all the way to the fence in between our houses. I found him playing basketball by himself in his back yard. He was wearing his old, baggy shorts and a basketball jersey.

Chad was so focused on the ball that he didn't pay attention to the world around him. I cleared my throat to make him notice me and it worked. He shot the ball and turned his head to me when it was in mid air. He smiled and opened his mouth to greet me, but I saw that the ball bounced off the rim and was going straight at his head.

'Careful!' I said. He turned his head towards the basket, saw the ball coming at him and ducked at the last second. The ball flew over his head and landed a few feet away.

'Are you okay?' I asked. He looked back at me and smiled a little.

'Yeah, I'm fine… Hey, don't scare me like that ever again, please' he begged and went to get the ball. I giggled.

'Sorry. I guess I should have waited for you to score first.'

'Yeah… Good thing I got my cat-like reflexes' he joked. He picked the ball up and walked up to the fence.

I giggled. 'Good thing you have them' I said sarcastically, which made him chuckle.

'What are you doing here anyways?' he asked. 'You lost or something?'

'No, I'm just…. you know… bored I guess.'

'Of course you are' he said and laughed. 'Come in, it's open.'

I walked up to the gate and entered his back yard. I sat down on the bench and looked at him.

'I'm home alone right now… and you also seem like you have nothing better to do' I pointed out. 'Can't we just hang out?'

'I don't know, can we?' he asked ironically and smiled.

'Look, if you want me to go home, I will' I said in an irritated tone.

'No, I'm just kidding. You don't have to go anywhere' he said and smiled like an angel. He went up to the free throw line, shot the ball and scored. Then, before the ball hit the ground, he ran up to the basket, grabbed the ball and did a "slam dunk". I rolled my eyes and slowly clapped my hands.

He gave me a confused look. 'Why?' he asked.

'Isn't that what you expected?' I asked sarcastically. Instead of getting offended, he laughed. He picked up his ball and walked up to me.

'What, you think I'm tryin' to impress you? Come on, I've known you for 11 years now. I know that a guy can't simply impress Taylor McKessie by being good in sports. Even if Michael Jordan, himself, was right here, slam dunking the hell out of this basket and literally flying across the field, you still wouldn't be impressed.'

'Of course I would. It's Michael Jordan' I said shortly. He laughed once again.

'Why are you here, huh? 'Cause I know you wouldn't come here if you were "bored".'

'I don't know, I guess I just felt like coming here…' I said and shrugged my shoulders.

'Oh, I think I know what this is about' he said and smirked. 'You just wanna see me shirtless again, don't you?'

There it was; he was teasing me again. I tried to stay cool and not blush like an idiot, but that was really hard.

'Of course I am' I said sarcastically. I decided to fight him with sarcasm; it was easier to hide how I really felt.

'Hey, don't be embarrassed. If you really want me to take this jersey off, you just have to ask' he kept joking. I laughed.

'No, please! And if you really have to, kill me first!' I begged jokingly. He laughed.

'Okay, okay… I guess I'll just have to keep my perfectly shaped body to myself' he said and rubbed his chest. I giggled.

'I guess so.'

'But seriously, what's up?' he asked. I got serious and looked down at the ground.

'I think I need to talk to someone…' I said quietly. He nodded his head, put the ball on the ground and sat next to me.

'Alright, talk.'

'I don't know how to start… It's just… a lot of things have happened last week' I said and looked at him. I could see honest concern in his eyes.

'Is everythin- Are _you _okay?' he asked. I smiled weakly.

'Yeah, I'm fine… It's not about me anyways… It's about my sister.'

'What's wrong?'

'I don't know if I can tell you… It's not really a secret, but no one outside of my house knows about it.'

'Hey, you know that your secrets are safe with me… You can tell me anything… If you are allowed to, of course.'

I sighed. 'Well, it's not a big deal… I mean, it is, but keeping it a secret is not a priority… My sister is pregnant.'

'Well, is that wrong?' Chad asked in a confused tone.

'It turns out that it actually is… My dad went mad when she told him. He told her to move in with her boyfriend and stuff…'

Chad raised his eyebrows. 'Wow, did he really say that? But can't she move in with her boyfriend though?'

'Nope. He dumped her after she told him she was pregnant. He claimed it wasn't his baby; he's sure she cheated on him… which she didn't.'

'Wow, guy's a real dickhead…'

'I know he is. And that's not even the worst part, I mean if really wants he can do the test and it will show he's the father… I think he's just really scared of the responsibility and he's trying to push Destiny away from him.'

'Damn…' Chad sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. 'How is she doing?'

'Honestly, I have never seen this depressed… It's like she came to a dead end in her life. She is blaming herself for everything. She thinks it's her fault that her boyfriend dumped her… I swear she's on the edge of depression.'

'Is it that bad?' he asked. I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them.

'I think. Yesterday, when our parents and Tony were asleep, we were talking about everything… She told me she had no idea how she will manage to be a mother. She said she barely has enough money to get her own place and when she has a baby, she won't have enough money for food and stuff… You know she's considering giving the baby up for adoption?'

Chad took a deep breath and leaned back on the bench. He stretched his arms on the backrest and let the air out slowly.

'Will she do it?' he asked after a moment of silence. I sighed.

'She's not sure yet… she doesn't want to tell Mom and Dad anything, because they sure wouldn't approve of that… I told her to wait and see how everything develops.'

'That's true. I mean, maybe your dad will get over it and will actually decide to let her stay at home… Maybe her boyfriend will come around… Who knows, no need to make any big decisions right away' he pointed out.

'Yeah, you're right… Hopefully one of these things will happen, because this is driving everyone crazy…' I said quietly. Since Chad had his arms stretched on the backrest of the bench, one of his arms was behind my back. He looked at me and slowly wrapped his arm around me.

'Hey, don't worry… Everything will be okay, you'll see… I promise' he said and rubbed my arm. I looked at him.

'How can you know that?' I asked. He smiled.

'I just do… same like you knew everything was going to be okay between my parents. And it is.'

I smiled a little. 'I told you I'm always right.'

'I know, Tay. I know…'

Talking to him made me feel a lot better. I know it basically changed nothing about the situation, but I needed someone to tell me everything would be fine. It gave me some hope and I felt his support, I really did.

We were sitting on the bench in silence; his arm still around me. I got a crazy idea and rested my head on his shoulder. He raised his eyebrows and looked down at me, but did nothing about it.

'Is this weird?' I asked.

'A little' he replied.

'Do you mind it?'

He smiled and tightened his grip around me. 'Of course not.'

'Good' I answered, smiled and closed my eyes. And then I felt that he gently rested his head on mine. That made everything perfect. I felt so… ugh, I don't know. Happy I guess. I told him everything that bothered me and felt relieved, plus he was a great friend and instead of pretending he cared, he actually did. As if he wanted to be there for me and support me whenever I felt down.

I know that so many times I swore I had no feelings towards Chad, but at that moment the ice that covered my heart started melting. I always needed a person who I could talk to, who could manage to make me laugh, who let me be independent but also take care of me… And Chad was all of that. I just didn't know that yet.

I took a deep breath and noticed he smelled really nice. His jersey was freshly washed. I lifted my head up and looked at him.

'You sure you were playing basketball?' I asked. 'You smell too good.'

He laughed and took his arm away from me. 'Actually before you came here, I was only playing for like 2 minutes. My "real man scent" had no time to… develop, let's put it like that.'

I laughed. 'Oh, thank God didn't.'

'I know, right?' he asked and smiled. I calmed down and looked at him. He had a dreamy smile on his face and was staring at me.

'You know what, you haven't told me what's up with you!' I said. 'We spent time talking about my problems. Let's hear yours now.'

'Oh, I don't really have any…' he said and shrugged.

'Okay, then tell me if anything happened this week? Anything you wanna talk about?'

'Hmmm… Well, I found out I'm going to have a little brother' he said and smiled proudly. I gasped.

'Really? Awww, that's awesome!' I said and playfully punched him on the arm. He laughed.

'Isn't it?'

'You excited to be a big brother?'

'I don't know, I guess… I'll just have to wait and see… Maybe it's great… Or maybe it sucks, who knows.'

'You should talk to Tony. He knows a lot about being a big brother… Also, he can teach you how to torture your sibling and make him do everything for you' I said jokingly. Chad chuckled.

'Hopefully I won't be that mean…' He smiled and looked down. 'It's just seems funny… I mean, I'll have a little brother… he's gonna be 17 years younger than me…'

'17?' I asked.

'Yeah, by the time he's born I'll be 17.'

'Oh yeah! I remember, your birthday is before mine… Wow, well that will be awesome. I'd love to have an older brother like that… you know, not only 2 years older than me.'

'Why?'

'By the time your brother turns 7, you'll be a mature guy. You won't go around and torture him or flush his toys in the toilet.'

Chad laughed. 'Damn, was Tony really that bad?'

I giggled. 'Yeah, well it was though sometimes. But I had a big sister who'd torture him for torturing me, so it evened out.'

'And let me guess, you'd get away with everything because you were the youngest?'

'The youngest, the cutest, the nicest… and also a Daddy's Angel' I replied. Chad chuckled and looked at me.

'Hopefully by the time my bro starts getting evil ideas, I'll be out of my parents' house.'

'If you're lucky enough, yeah' I added and we both laughed.

'Who knows, he might actually be different than me' Chad said after we calmed down. I smiled.

'I hope not. It would be great to see a little you once again.'

'Really? I thought you didn't like me much.'

'Well I'm not 7 anymore, so I guess I wouldn't mind it now.'

Chad smiled and looked at the tree in his yard. We used to climb it when we were little. Looking at it every day brought back some amazing memories.

'Man, I can't wait to see this… you know, "a little me"… it's going to be hilarious.'

'I know… and my sister will have a baby too… I can already see kids running around the house and climbing over the fences like we did' I said and smiled to myself.

'This is going to be crazy' Chad added. We both laughed just at the thought of it.

'Anything else you wanna talk about?' I asked. He gave me a confused look. 'You know, I already told you everything that bothered me… Maybe you have something to get off your chest.'

Chad looked at the ground as if he was thinking. He took a deep breath.

'Alright, I sort of need… advice' he said and looked at me. I nodded my head.

'Okay, go ahead.'

'See, I have this… secret sort of thing… and like… it ummm… involves this other person.'

'Wait, does the "other person" know they're involved?'

'Nah, not really…' he admitted. 'But I really wanna… you know, let them know they're involved.'

'How about you just tell them?' I suggested.

'But what if they reject me? I mean, I don't know if she wants to get involved-'

'Wait' I cut him off. '_She_? Is it about a girl? You like someone?'

'Um, I didn't say that!' he tried to defend himself, but I knew I guessed it right. I smiled.

'You have a secret crush, huh? Nice' I teased. He blushed and looked down.

'Yeah… but like I don't know whether-'

'Tell her' I cut him off once again. He gave me a confused look.

'Should I?' he asked. I smiled.

'Of course! Let her know!' I advised, but Chad wasn't so sure about it.

'I don't know Tay… I mean, what if she doesn't like me? Like at all?'

'You should tell her. And if she doesn't feel the same way, good for the both of you. I mean, you'll find someone else. But I think you should tell her because there's no point of you wasting your time on secretly crushing on her. And if she likes you, then go get her before someone steals her.'

Chad thought about it. 'When you put it like that…'

'Seriously, think about it' I said and smiled. 'Be optimistic.'

'I'll have to think about it…' he said and leaned back.

'Plus, I doubt she doesn't like you… Almost every girl I know has some sort of crush on you' I admitted. He chuckled.

'Ah, well she's a bit different than other girls… It's quite hard to tell how she feels about me.'

'Don't worry Chad, I don't know a single person that wouldn't like you' I said honestly. I wanted to make him feel better and I wasn't going to lie to him. He smiled and looked at me.

'Does that also include you?' he asked. I smirked.

'Maybe' I replied shortly. He laughed and shook his head.

We heard footsteps. I turned around just to see Tony heading towards us. He jumped over the fence and walked up to the bench.

'Taylor, what are you doing here?' he asked once he realized that I was the mysterious girl sitting next to his best friend.

'Hanging out' I replied. He gave me a confused look.

'Ya'll acting weird lately' he summed it up and looked at Chad. 'You ready to go, man? Or you wanna sit here with my sister and talk about hair?'

Chad laughed and got up. 'Yeah, let's go.'

I got up also. 'Alright, I'll go. Since you can't stand me talking to your friend, I'll just disappear.'

'Finally!' Tony cried sarcastically. 'I've been begging you to do that all these years.'

'And guess what, you finally reached that level of being a pain in the ass that you can make your sisters disappear' I said in an irritated tone.

'Go home Taylor' he said politely. I balled my fists, but listened to what he told me. I turned around and started walking away.

'Man, why do you hang out with her?' I heard Tony ask once I walked past the garage. I stopped and listened to their conversation.

'She's not that bad, dude' Chad said.

'Yeah right' Tony scoffed.

'No, really. She's quite awesome actually…' Chad admitted. I smiled to myself and headed towards my house.

Taylor M.


	20. Chapter 20

**So yeah, this is so late and stuff and I know you've been waiting, so here's two chapters in one.**

**I think you might like it. ;)**

**Feel free to review and stuff :P**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>Summer was only two weeks away. Finally, I thought. The whole school year has been really weird and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I put 150% of all my effort in all final exams and assignments. I was officially done with all the work, all I had to do was show up at school for another two weeks.<p>

After a long, exhausting day of handing in my assignments all I could think about was going home, getting into some comfortable sweatpants and watching TV all day with my sister. However, before I escaped to my little paradise, I had to get out of school.

I said bye to Gaby, who wanted to stay for the practice and watch her boyfriend sweat while playing the barbarian sport of his, and rushed to my locker. I threw my bag on the floor and unlocked my locker. I found a bag of chips and opened it. I was starving and I didn't want to wait before I got home, so I started eating it at school. I put one chip in my mouth, put the bag in my other hand and tried to close my locker. Before I knew it, someone took the bag away from me. I turned around and saw Chad.

'Oh come on!' I whined. He laughed and put his hand inside the bag.

'I'll hold it for you, don't worry' he said and put 3 chips in his mouth. I shut my locker, hung my bag on my shoulder and gave him an annoyed look.

'Give it back, I'm hungry!' I begged. He chuckled and gave the bag of chips back to me. 'Thank you.'

'They're salty, my favorite!' he explained and licked his fingers. I gasped.

'They're my favorite too!' I said and smiled. 'High-five!'

He pulled out his right hand to high-five me, but the second our hands touched, he snatched the bag out of my left hand and wrapped his right arm around me so that I couldn't move. I rolled my eyes.

'Are you kidding me?' I asked. He smiled.

'I'm also hungry' he said.

'How are you gonna eat it anyways? I mean, in one hand you have me and in the other you have the chips.'

He looked at the chips and then back at me. 'At least I have the bag.'

'I want my chips back!' I protested and tried to break free. He chuckled and we kept wrestling like that for a moment.

'Mr. Danforth!' we heard someone say. We both turned our heads and saw the English teacher standing near us, her arms crossed. 'Will you please let Ms. McKessie go?'

Chad nodded and let me go. 'I'm sorry ma'am' he tried to defend himself. 'It's just that Taylor was eating the chips… and like she was choking…. so I took the bag away from her and tried to give her the… um… Hem… Heim…' he stuttered. I giggled and looked up at his face.

'Heimlich maneuver' I whispered to him.

'Yeah, the Heimlich maneuver' he finished. Ms. Johnson raised her eyebrows and stared at us for a short moment. Then she just shook her head and started walking towards us.

'You both know the rules, especially you Mr. Danforth' she said as she walked past us. 'Cut it off.'

I smiled and looked down, so Ms. Johnson couldn't see that I was about to laugh. She gave us a last mad look and walked away.

'Wow, who shoved a stick up her as-?' Chad said, but I cut him off by covering his mouth. He gave me a surprised look.

'What, not true?' he asked after I took my hand away.

'SO true, but she might hear you. So shhh' I told him. He shrugged and looked around.

'You going home now?' he asked. He put another chip in his mouth.

'Yeah.'

'Can I walk with you?'

'Sure… But don't you have your practice now?'

'Yeah, but coach let me go home...'

'Why?'

'Oh, I have business to take care of' he explained and looked down. I had this funny feeling something was on, but I decided not to investigate it.

'Alright then, let's go' I said and we started walking towards the exit.

'Are you happy that the school year ends soon?' I asked after we crossed the street. He shrugged and looked around.

'I guess… I'm excited for summer' he said and smiled. I smiled to myself when I realized that we walking up to the park where we used to play when we were kids.

'Are you going to New York?'

'Yeah, probably…' he said. He emptied the bag of chips by putting it over his mouth, making all the tiny crumbs fall onto his tongue. He made a ball out of the bag and shot it into the trashcan that was maybe 15ft away from us. Of course he made it, what did you think? 'I'm going with my mom to see dad. I haven't seen him for… like 5 weeks now.'

'Isn't it hard when you guys live here and he lives… all the way over there?' I asked before I even realized what a dumb question it was. Chad nodded his head and rubbed his hands.

'Sort of… I mean, after they got divorced we moved here for a reason… Mom wanted to be far away from dad. But now it's a bit… inconvenient' he said and smiled. I giggled.

'So it seems.'

'Doesn't it? Hey, wanna walk through the park?' he asked and stopped walking. I also stopped and looked at him.

'Why?'

'I don't know… For fun I guess… It's warm… I'm not rushing home… unless you are.'

'No, I'm not…' I said, even though I was a little confused. Why did he want to walk through the park all of the sudden?

'Alright, so let's go.'

I nodded and we walked into the park. It was sunny outside, but the trees provided us with shade. There weren't that many people there; it was only a few children with their grandmas. Everyone else was either at work or at school. Everyone, except us.

'Hey, didn't you say you had to take care of some business?' I asked.

'Yeah, but I don't need to get home to do that…' he explained and smiled mysteriously. I gave him a suspicious look, but once again decided not to investigate his unusual behavior.

'Hey, wanna sit over there?' he asked and pointed at the bench that was a few feet away from us.

'Sure' I agreed and we sat there. I put my bag on the bench, next to me and looked around. From the bench we could clearly see the playground. It was in an oval shape and the trees grew around it. It was sunny there, but we remained in the shade. The park was just as I remembered it.

'Remember how we used to play hide and seek there?' Chad asked and pointed at the playground. I smiled.

'Of course. I always had to look for you and Tony; I could never be the one who was hiding. And you two dumbos always hid in the same spot.'

Chad laughed. 'Yeah, I know. Like in that little castle there… Man, that was a good spot.'

'But the rules say that if you hid there once and you were found, you shouldn't hide there again' I explained and looked at him. He chuckled and sat next to me. He sort of put his right leg over the bench so that he was sitting facing me and the playground.

'Yeah, but we wanted to give you a head start, you know' he tried to explain. I laughed.

'Yeah right, you guys just didn't know where else to hide.'

'That was the only place we could hide! I mean, were we supposed to hide behind a tree?' he continued defending himself. I giggled and looked back at the playground.

'I guess… that way I'd never find you… There is like a million trees here' I said and sighed. 'Good times.'

'Good times' he agreed. We stared at the playground for another moment.

While I was normally sitting on the bench, he was sitting facing me. He rested his arm on the backrest and his hand supported his head. I suddenly felt his eyes on me. I slowly turned around and saw him staring at me with a dreamy smile on his face. I raised my eyebrows.

'What?' I asked. He shook his head and continued staring at me. Surprisingly, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. 'What would your girlfriend say to this?'

Chad finally snapped out of it and sat up. 'What girlfriend?' he asked.

'You know, the girl you said you liked… whoever that was' I explained.

'Ohh… She's not my girlfriend yet, I'm working on it.'

'Still? It's been nearly a month!'

'Yeah, I still don't know how to do it right' he explained.

'No ideas? At all?' I asked. He bit his lips and looked down.

'Well, I had this one idea…' he said and looked at me.

'What is it?' I asked curiously. He smiled.

'It goes something like this..' he said. He stretched his arm, the one that was resting on the backrest, so that his hand was behind my ear. I heard his fingers snap and he put his hand in front of me. He was holding a folded, red paper.

I gave him a questioning look. He nodded his head, so I took the paper from him. He bit his lips and rested his hands on his lap. I swear he was nervous.

I slowly unfolded the paper and examined it. It seemed very familiar and this is what was written on it:

_I don't know how to put this,  
>But I want you to know<br>I think you are gorgeous  
>From head to toe.<em>

_I kept it to myself  
>And I think it's enough<br>'Cause whenever I'm with you  
>I can't act all though.<em>

_It's killing me inside  
>To know that you might leave<br>With some other, better dude  
>Because I'm so naive.<em>

_You're just perfect:  
>Beautiful, funny and smart.<br>Honestly, you're the one who  
>Has the key to my heart.<em>

_The smile on your face-  
>Best part of my day.<br>You just throw one at me  
>And it blows me away.<em>

_I know you're busy,  
>Have better things to do<br>But maybe you'll find some time  
>For a guy who really likes you.<em>

I smiled to myself. It was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever written for me. My facial expression changed, when I snapped out of it and remembered Chad was sitting right next to me.

I gave him confused look. 'I don't understand…' I said quietly.

'Flip it' he said shyly. I flipped the paper and saw the well-known initials – B.D.

My eyes widened while the puzzle pieces in my head were forming into one, clear picture. I gave him a shocked look.

'I was supposed to put it in your locker, but I didn't have time… And when I did, you were always there' he explained more confidently. I was confused more than ever.

'Wait' I said. 'You mean that this… and the notes… and the poems… and… and…. That was you?'

He nodded his head and smiled a little. 'Yeah.'

'And um… that someone…. that girl… you liked… That was me?'

'Uh huh…' he replied shyly. I opened my mouth, but couldn't get anything smart out of it. I was so shocked I couldn't form a logical sentence.

'So that note… on Valentine's day…' I stuttered.

'Me.'

'And…. the notes… through the year…'

'Me.'

'And that dude… that secretly liked me….?'

'Also me.'

I stared at him for a while. I had no idea what to reply, I had no idea what to think. I guess it was just too much information at once, so I needed a moment to process all of it. Chad had a worried look on his face.

'I'm sorry, I could have planned this better… I thought of sending you a note to meet me here and stuff, but I thought that was creepy… I'm sorry, I just had no idea how to tell you… But I had to tell you…. and if you don't like me, it's fine… I don't want to pressure you-'

'No' I cut him off. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him. 'It's okay.'

The expression on his face changed from worried to rather confused, as if he wasn't quite sure what I meant.

'It is?' he asked.

'Yeah' I said and shrugged. I wasn't sure how to feel, hence my lack of facial expression… it was blank to be honest. 'I just don't get why… Like why didn't you say anything earlier?'

'I was scared… I thought you hated me… Well I wanted to tell you, but then you were going out with Derrick… and when he broke your heart, I figured the last thing you wanted was another guy on your back… And then we had those moments and I wasn't sure if you hated me or no… But I was scared I guess' he said honestly.

'I see…' I replied blankly and looked down.

'You're upset, aren't you?' he asked all of the sudden. I looked at him.

'No, of course not… why would I be?'

'Because you don't like me back…' he guessed.

'I do' I replied. A second later I realized what I just said. I admitted to liking Chad… to Chad himself. Yesterday I wasn't even sure about it, but at that moment I just spilled it out. What scared me the most was that I said what I really felt; I really liked him.

'Really?' he asked. His face brightened up with hope.

'Yeah…' I replied and finally smiled at him. He smiled back and opened his mouth, but he simply couldn't get a word out of there. I giggled and looked at the playground.

'Awesome' he suddenly stammered out. 'It feels good to finally get it off my chest.'

'It sure does…' I admitted. We both blushed like idiots and looked away from each other.

I can't describe what I felt that that moment. It was like happiness mixed with excitement mixed with relief. I had the goofiest smile on my face and I knew Chad did too, but we both tried to hide it. My heart was pounding like crazy. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I hug him? Should I kiss him? Should I say something? If yeah, what should it be?

'So I'm gorgeous, huh?' I asked, smiled and looked down at the poem. Everything about it was amazing, but I was never called gorgeous by guy before.

Chad blushed and scratched the back of his head.

'Yeah, you are…' he replied shyly. 'It took me the whole night to figure that out...' he said. He realized what he said was a little weird, so he immediately corrected himself. 'I took me the whole night to write the poem, not to figure out that you were gorgeous… I mean, everyone knows that…'

'It's okay, I got it' I cut him off and smiled at him. He sighed and smiled.

'It feels amazing to finally get it off my chest…' he said.

'How long were you "suffering"?' I asked. He chuckled, because I called liking me a suffering.

'For a while now…'

'Meaning?'

'Ever since I met you' he admitted. I laughed just at the thought of that.

'You gotta be kidding me!'

He laughed also. 'No, really… I always liked you…'

'Why? I was always so mean to you.'

'Yeah, well I was mean to you too… Plus, I knew you were not mean at all. It was all just an act.'

'Oh, so you think you know me, huh?' I asked jokingly.

'Well, I know you well enough to tell… Plus, I've known you for like 12 years and I can finally say that I'm slowly starting to figure out how you… operate.'

I laughed. 'That's impossible.'

'We'll see about that' he said, half joking half serious. I smiled and looked at him. Our faces were centimeters away. I saw he looked down at my lips, but I wasn't going to give in so easily.

'Come on, let's go home' I said and got up. 'Unless you have something else planned.'

He chuckled and got up too. 'No, sorry. That was all.'

'It was enough to make my day' I admitted. He gave me a surprised look, but smiled. We started walking down the alley.

'Tay?' he said after a moment of silence. I looked up at him.

'Yeah?'

'You know that everything I wrote there… I mean it.'

I smiled and looked down at the paper once again. 'I know that.'

Silence.

'You know what I don't get?' I said suddenly. 'B.D. – what does it stand for?'

'You know my middle name is Bryan, right? And you know my last name.'

I put it together and realized what an idiot I was. Chad Bryan Danforth. Bryan. Danforth. B.D. Why didn't I figure it out before?

'Of course!' I said and hit my forehead with my hand. 'I'm so stupid! That was so obvious!'

He laughed. 'I thought of using C.D. instead, but thought that would be too obvious… so I decided on B.D… I hoped you'd get it, though.'

'I'd have you as my primary suspect if I knew you were into writing poems' I said.

'I'm not. I just thought that was a good way to get to you' he admitted and shrugged.

'Wow, you actually went through a lot… couldn't you just tell me?'

'I could have… But that would spoil all the fun… You should have seen the look on your face' he said and smiled. I blushed.

'Yeah, okay I get it. I'm an idiot and I look dumb when I'm surprised' I said jokingly. He chuckled.

'No, you actually look cute.'

I looked up at him. Even though I knew he liked me, it was still a bit unusual for me.

'Sorry' he said, because he thought I didn't like his compliment.

'No, I don't mean that… Just… I need to get used to it and I have to ask you so many questions…'

'Like what?'

'Like… Why? And how long have you liked me for? And how come you liked me when I was a bitch towards you? And stuff.'

He laughed. 'I get it… Well, if you wanna we can go catch a movie together on the weekend… And talk by the way' he suggested when we walked up to my house. I smiled just at the thought of a date with him.

'Yeah, sure… I'd love that' I replied shyly. I was jumping up and down inside, but I didn't want him to know that.

'Awesome' he said and smiled. 'So I'll find a movie and um… call you.'

'Yeah… You have my number, right?'

'Yeah, yeah… I do.'

'Alright… cool.'

Awkward silence.

'So um… I'll see you… later?' he asked.

'Yup' I said and nodded.

'Alright… bye.'

'Bye…'

He was about to walk away, when I felt something pushing me towards him.

'Wait' I said and he turned to me. I walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek then hugged him. 'Thanks for telling me how you feel.'

He was surprised, but hugged me back. 'No problem' he whispered. I smiled and pulled away.

'So I'll see you…?' he asked.

'On Sunday… That's in two days' I replied. He smiled and looked down.

'Can't wait.'

I smiled at his comment, but ignored it. 'See ya' I said and turned to walk towards my house. I knew he stood there for a moment, staring at me.

I closed the door behind me and sighed happily. I already knew that the big smile wasn't going to leave my face for days.

'Hey' Destiny said as she walked downstairs.

'Hey, how was your day?' I asked. She gave me a confused look.

'It was fine, thanks…' she replied slowly. 'You alright?'

'Yeah, why?'

'What's up with all that…' she cut off and sort of drew a smile on her face with her finger. I giggled.

'Oh, it's nothing. I'm just in a good mood.'

'I thought you were going to have a bad day. You said so in the morning, remember? You were all pissed and tired…'

'Oh yeah.. well I did spend the whole night making my essays perfect… But I'm fine now, not tired anymore to be honest.'

'Really?' she asked and gave me a suspicious look. 'Are you doing drugs?'

I laughed. 'Of course not, what the hell!'

She relaxed. 'Good. Not worth starting, trust me… anyways, why are you so happy? Something happened?'

I was about to lie to her and say that nothing happened… I even thought of making up a story about some nitrous oxide leaking in the Chemistry lab and that before we figured out it leaked, we all had a good dose of some laughing gas. However, I decided not to lie. My sister was a psychologist and they can tell when you lie. Imagine having a psychologist sister who knows you so well and who is paid to read human minds. She'd know I lied right away.

'I'll tell you later' I said shortly and made my way upstairs.

'It better not be drugs, because I'm telling on you!' I heard her scream from the hall.

I closed the door to my room and sat on my bed. I still couldn't believe it. Chad liked me. He liked me more than a friend, more than just a "Taylor". He thought I was beautiful… Man, he said I was gorgeous. Just the thought of that made me feel all warm and nice inside. I sighed and smiled to myself. I never felt better in my life. I also felt free, because so many times, whenever Chad crossed my mind, I was embarrassed to admit I had a crush on him. I was embarrassed to admit it to myself. I tried not to look at him and think how cute he was, about his perfect smile or how much I actually admired the afro on his head. But now it was all over. I was free. I got to look at him and debate what a hottie he was.

I snapped out of that when I realized one thing. I haven't told Gaby yet. I reached for my cellphone and dialed her number. She answered after two beeps.

'Hey Tay!'

'Hey Gaby! Where are you?'

'I just got home. You?'

'Same.'

'Wait, just now? You left school long time before me.'

'Yeah, I know… I called to tell you why that happened.'

'I'm listening' she said curiously. From her tone I could tell she was smiling.

'Well, on my way out of the school I met Chad…'

'And?'

'And he wanted to walk home with me…'

'And?'

'On our way home we went through the park… Don't ask why, even I don't know that, but we just did.'

'Okay, and?' she asked. She was already dying to know what happened, but I didn't know how to get to the point.

'And we sat there and talked…'

'And?' she asked, emphasizing the _d._

'Um… guess what… He told me liked me' I spilled out. Gaby gasped.

'Are you serious? That's great!' she squealed. I smiled.

'I know!'

'Wait, so he just dragged you to the park and told you that?'

'No… well yeah, he did drag me there God knows why, but he didn't tell me that directly… He wrote it down.'

'Huh?'

'Instead of telling me that, he wrote it down on a paper… and gave it to me.'

'Awww that's so cute!' she squealed once again.

'Yeah, I know… Oh, and turns out he was the one sending me the notes.'

'Wait' she cut me off. 'He was B.D.?'

'Yeah…'

'Wow…'

'I know, I'm still processing that' I joked. She laughed.

'Oh gosh Tay! We need to meet tomorrow, you need to tell me about it! Everything!'

'Sure! But it was nothing special, though.'

'Still! Chad told you he liked you! It's big!' she said. I smiled and sighed.

'I know… I still can't believe it…'

'I'm so happy for you, Tay.'

'I'm happy for me too..'

We both laughed.

'I'll come over to your house tomorrow, we need to talk about everything!' Gaby said.

'Sure, my sister will be at home, so she won't bother us.'

'Great! See ya tomorrow!'

'Bye!'

I hung up and sighed. I lied down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I didn't feel like doing anything, all I wanted was to lie there all day and smile like an idiot. It seemed to be the only fun thing to do.

I slowly started drifting away in my thoughts, but I got interrupted by my cell phone. I reached for it without looking at the caller ID and answered it.

'Yeah?'

'Hey, it's me' someone said. My eyes widened when I realized it was Chad. I sat up and fixed my hair, no idea why. I cleared my throat and tried not to sound excited.

'Hey. What's up?' I asked neutrally.

'Just callin' to tell you that I found the movie… How do you feel about watching the new Spider-man movie?'

'I'm fine with it. I was supposed to see it eventually anyways, so why not.'

'You like super hero movies?' he asked in a surprised tone. I giggled.

'Yeah, I have a… thing for them. I enjoy them.'

'Awesome' he said. From his tone I could tell he was grinning. 'The movie starts at 4… let's meet in front of your house at 3 maybe?'

'Sure.'

'Great. See you on Sunday then.'

'You know you live right next to me, right?' I pointed out. 'There is a big chance we'll see each other tomorrow.'

He laughed. 'Don't think so. My mom's forcing me to go visit her sister tomorrow. I'll be stuck with my cousins all day.'

'Awww, poor thing' I joked. 'That's too bad, we could hang out tomorrow.'

'You really like to see me miserable, don't you?' he asked jokingly. I laughed.

'I'm sorry, I'm sad I have to wait until Sunday to hang out with you' I teased.

'Good to know I'm not the only one who can't wait till Sunday' he replied confidently. I smiled.

'I know, right? Have fun with your cousins tomorrow and see you on Sunday.'

'Yup.'

'Bye.'

'Bye, Tay.'

I hung up and smiled. I couldn't wait until Sunday.

* * *

><p>I kept nervously looking at my watch.<p>

'_2:50' _I thought._ 'Should I go outside? Should I wait for him there? What if he's already waiting? Or what if he'll be late and I'll be standing there all alone like a weirdo_.'

I sighed and peeked out of the window near the front door. He still wasn't there.

'_Okay, maybe he's going to come right on time. Maybe he's still getting ready. Or maybe not. Maybe he forgot about our date. Maybe he met some other girl on Saturday. She's probably all the things that I'm not. That slut-'_

'You alright?' Destiny asked. I turned my head to her and saw her standing behind me, with her arms crossed.

'Yeah' I said fast. She gave me a suspicious look.

'Why are you creeping near the door?'

'Waiting for… someone.'

'For who?'

'You don't know 'im.'

She raised her eyebrows. 'Him?'

I realized what I said and bit my lips. Had to think about a good way out of this.

'Em! Them, I said them. You don't know _'em_' I said. She nodded her head slowly.

'Right… Anyways, where you _guys_ going?' she asked. She emphasized "guys"; I already knew she knew I lied. However, I decided to stick to my story.

'Movies…'

'Great, have fun. I might be going out later, so take your keys.'

'When are mom and dad coming back?'

'I don't know, they went to visit their high school friends, so that might take a while… Probably late. Make sure you're home by then.'

'Sure… What about Tony?'

'No idea… I told him to take his keys, but he was too busy ignoring me. Look, I really don't care. If he eventually decides to come back home and if he gets locked out, he can go hang out at Fuzzy's house.'

'Yeah…' I replied. She had no idea that Fuzzy was going out… with me.

'Anyways, have fun. Don't get me into trouble' she said and made her way upstairs.

'Yeah, don't worry… I won't!'

I waited for her to slam the door of her room and peeked out of the window once again. Chad was standing near my mailbox, checking his phone. I looked down at my watch and smiled. 3.00pm, right on time.

I checked how I looked like in the mirror; probably for the 15th time that day. My hair still didn't mess up, so I was happy about that. I decided not to tie it up, I hoped the wind wasn't planning on ruining my day. Since it was quite warm outside, I put on a T-shirt and jeans and a jacket that ended at my waist. I don't know if that was the best choice, but I didn't want to dress up for him. Gaby told me it was best to go dressed as myself, because he had to like me the way I was. She was right.

I peeked out of the window again. I figured I was going to stare at him anyways, so I decided to do it while he still couldn't see me. That's less creepy, right?

He was wearing a black pair of jeans, a dark blue T-shirt, grey zip up hoodie and Adidas sneakers. His tied up hair was just a cheery on top.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. I casually walked out and closed the door to my house. I looked down at the ground and started walking towards him. I was too embarrassed to look into his eyes; I just knew I was going to drool all over him.

'Hey!' he said and smiled when I walked up to him.

'Hi' I replied shyly. I stood in front of him, still trying to bring my eyes up and look at his face, but I just couldn't.

He smirked and hugged me. 'That's a better greeting, huh?'

I giggled and hugged him back. 'Definitely.'

'So, what's up?' he asked after he let me go. I shrugged.

'Nothing really… Oh, sorry I'm late.'

'Late?' He raised his eyebrows and checked the time on his phone. 'Come on, give yourself a break! It's 3:03… three minutes, really?'

'Yeah. That's still late' I explained.

'Well, then you are forgiven' he said and smiled. I blushed and we started walking.

'How was your Saturday?' I asked once I remembered he had spent it with his little cousins. Chad groaned.

'Ahh…. I guess it was fine, but I'd rather stay at home all day and study.'

I gasped. 'No way! Was it that bad?'

'Yeah, I'm not really good at hanging out with kids… or maybe they're evil and that's why I can't spend time with them.'

'You'll have to learn how to deal with kids and their shenanigans…'

'Oh yeah, I'll have a lil' brother… Well, that will be interesting' he said ironically, which made me laugh.

'How's that going anyway?'

'Stressing… Mom said it can happen anytime soon. Next week I'm gonna spend the whole weekend with my dad preparing the room for him… Can't wait' he said sarcastically.

'Awww, that's so sweet of you' I said and smiled. He gave me a funny look.

'Wait, you actually think I volunteered for that?' he asked and I laughed. 'Alright, enough about my problems. How was your Saturday?'

'It was fine' I replied and smiled. I spent the whole day with Gaby, getting prepared for the date. Physically and mentally.

'At least one of us had fun' Chad summed up and we laughed.

On our way to the mall we kept talking about everything. I forgot how stressed I was at first. The stress went away with every single one of my laughs caused by Chad's jokes. I completely relaxed and just focused on having fun.

At the movies we sat down in the last row, because we both agreed it was the best spot.

'Can't believe you didn't let me get you any popcorn' Chad said and jokingly shook his head. I giggled.

'I'm fine… Plus, you got me Coke. That's enough' I said. Obviously, he paid for me. He didn't even let me reach for my wallet; he did it right away. It made me feel special in a way. Unlike Derrick, he didn't need clues.

'It's not. But that's why I got this huge popcorn' he said and pointed at the popcorn box standing on his lap. 'If you change your mind, feel free to take it.'

'Awww, thanks' I said and smiled at him. 'But I'm fine, really.'

'Alrighty then. More of it of me' he said and put a few of them in his mouth. 'Wow, it's good. Like the best popcorn I ever bought here. Oh yeah, that's right. They changed the way they make it, no wonder it's so good.'

I watched him eat and realized I wanted to have some too.

'Let me try' I said and reached for the popcorn, but he moved it away from me.

'No, you said you didn't want it. I asked you twice' he said and smiled. I understood he was only teasing me, but I wasn't going to give up.

'Come on, you're so mean!' I pretended to be sad and reached for the popcorn once again. He laughed and stretched his arm to the right; away from me. I gave him an annoyed look.

'Come on, ask for it' he said and smirked. I looked into his eyes and then down at his lips.

'I'm not gonna beg you for popcorn' I stated.

'Who said you had to beg?'

Our faces were millimeters away. I knew what he wanted and I sort of wanted it too, but I wasn't going to let him have it his way. I sat back and looked away from him, pretending to be offended.

'I don't need your stinky popcorn' I said seriously. He knew I was just kidding, but he decided to play along.

'Awww, I'm sorry Tay' he said and pouted. 'Here, have some.'

He put the popcorn in front of me, but I kept looking away.

'I sorry. Tay, I am' he said and made a sad puppy face. I looked at him and then smiled.

'Okay, I forgive you' I joked and took some popcorn from him. He laughed.

'Are you excited to see the movie?' he asked. I nodded and swallowed the popcorn.

'Yeah, actually… I mean The Avengers were amazing, so I wanna see how they did the whole "new Spider-Man thing".'

'Wait, you watched The Avengers?' he asked. I nodded again. 'Did you like it?'

'Are you kidding me, I loved it!' I said and smiled. He looked at me in amazement.

'Wow, that's so cool…' he said and smiled goofily. I laughed.

'I told you I liked superheroes.'

The lights went off and the movie started. Our eyes were basically glued to the screed, however we both took short breaks to look at each other. Not to stare or anything, but just to see each other's reactions to the movie. We both laughed at the same scenes, so that was good I guess. Whenever the kissing scenes came on, I tried not to look at him. He was, or maybe he pretended, not to be impressed at all. I saw him with the corner of my eye and he kept staring at the screen. I wondered if he was even going to try kissing me… I mean last time he was really close to, he changed his mind the last second.

When the movie ended, we waited for everyone to leave the theater and we left too. It was only 6pm and we decided to go walk around somewhere before returning home.

'The movie was good, huh?' he said after a long moment of silence.

'Yeah, It was awesome' I agreed before putting popcorn in my mouth. Chad overestimated our abilities and bought too much popcorn; we still had like half of it left after the movie.

'Do you think it was better than the one from 2002?'

'Hmmm… Well, it was way different. I mean, you can't compare the technology and the effects… They're different, I mean in the "original", let's call it like that, he was a nerd. Now he was a cute, sexy nerd.'

'Oh really?' he asked jokingly, as if he was offended by what I said. I giggled.

'Well, Andrew Garfield is so much better looking than Tobey Maguire… Which made his Spider-Man seem a little… too cool for a classic nerd. I mean, the skateboard and stuff...'

'Yeah, that's true… Besides that they didn't change it much.'

'Yeah, exactly… I liked this version more.'

'Because the dude was better looking, huh?' he joked. I laughed.

'Maybe' I said and smirked. Chad chuckled.

'I'd never say you were into superheroes, you know…'

'Oh, it's only because I was forced to watch cartoons with my brother… I was influenced by them whether I liked it or not' I said and shrugged. 'Tony always had full control over the TV. Plus, Destiny didn't mind watching the Justice League show.'

'Oh, I understand… Okay, let's see. Who's your favorite superhero?' he asked.

'DC or Marvel?'

He raised his eyebrows. I guess he was impressed by my nerdy knowledge.

'Alright, Marvel.'

'Hmm… Captain America, no doubt' I answered.

'Why? He's all stiff and boring.'

'Yeah, but he's so badass with that shield… All he has is a shield. That's pretty cool. Plus, I think he's still attractive with all that stiffness.'

Chad laughed. 'Really?'

'Yeah. He's all serious… and has those big muscles…' I said and looked at him. He had a confused look on his face. 'Don't even get me started on Captain America; he's a perfect human being and let's not discuss that.'

He laughed again. 'Sure.'

'Who's your favorite Marvel superhero?'

'Probably Iron Man…'

'Really? Why?'

'Well, he's rich, he has an awesome collection of robot suits that help him fly and shoot lasers out of his hands, he's funny… And chicks love him.'

I laughed. 'True… But he's an a-hole sometimes.'

'So am I' he said and smiled. I turned to him and gave him a funny look. 'What, aren't I?'

'Well, sometimes… But it's fine' I said and smiled. 'Hey, let's sit down somewhere?'

Chad looked around and looked back at me. 'There is no bench here.'

'Who cares, let's go sit by the lake' I suggested and started walking towards the lake. He stood there for a moment and stared at me, but finally snapped out of it and followed.

I don't know why, but we were at the park again. There was barely anyone there, because normal people are usually at home at 6pm, but we decided to walk around.

'Who's your favorite DC superhero then?' he asked once we sat down on the ground, a few steps away from the water.

'I'm gonna be really unoriginal and say Batman.'

'Well, I can't blame you… I like Batman too.'

'Sometimes I feel like DC had really good villains, while Marvel's superheroes were better.'

'I know right! Like Joker was a total genius, but Sandman? Come on.'

'I know! But you gotta give Marvel some credit for Dr. Doom and Red Skull.'

'True' he agreed. 'Wow, you're really into that stuff, huh?'

I blushed. 'It's just that… I don't really get to talk to anyone about it.'

'Me neither… I knew I had a good feeling about this.'

He smiled and I blushed again. "This" meant us.

'I guess so' I replied, trying to sound confident. 'So, you dream of becoming Tony Stark?'

Chad laughed and lay back. He put his hands under his head and looked at the sky.

'Not becoming him, but I wish I was as awesome as him… And being a superhero wouldn't be so bad. I always wanted to be one.'

I laughed. 'Oh I remember when, back in preschool, Ms. Wolf asked what we wanted to be when we grew up and you said you wanted to be a superhero. She said that was impossible, because they didn't exist.'

'Yeah, I remember that too… She crashed my dreams forever, I still hate her for that.'

I laughed. 'Oh come on, it's not your fault she has no imagination. And that was a terrible thing to say to a child.'

'I came home that day and told my mom I never wanted to go back there… Man, I was depressed.'

'Awww, poor thing' I said and rubbed his arm, which made him smile. 'You know what I think?'

'What?'

'I think that anyone can be a superhero… Not with supernatural abilities, not in that sense. I mean that, if you are someone's role model, you practically are a superhero.'

'And how exactly does that apply to me?' he asked.

'You want to go into professional basketball, don't you?'

'Yeah.'

'If that works out for you, you will be famous… and athletes are like superheroes to kids. Come on, you know that.'

He thought about for a second and smiled.

'You're right… If that actually happens, though' he said and the smile disappeared. 'Who knows, I can end up mopping the halls of East High.'

I laughed. 'And why in the world would that happen?'

'I don't know, but everything is possible. That's why I don't want to dream about becoming a basketball player… It might not work out for me and I'll be disappointed.'

'Wait, so you're saying we should have any aspirations?'

'No, I'm saying we should have any expectations.'

I gave him a confused look. This didn't sound like Chad at all.

'You know what' I said. 'You're right… But I think we're too young to think like that. We still have some time to just enjoy freedom and not worry about that. Can't you just focus on the dreams and not worry about the future?'

He sat up and looked into my eyes. 'I thought that was a stupid thing to do.'

'It is...' I admitted. 'Just not yet. We are young enough to get away with it.'

He smiled and looked at the lake. 'I guess we are… What are your plans for the future?'

I didn't answer. He looked back at me.

'Is it a secret?' he asked. I shook my head.

'Nope, just… I haven't really told anyone about it, because I'm still not sure.'

'You know you can tell me anything' he said and smiled. I swear that smile could make me spill all my deepest secrets in one second.

'Umm… well I wanted to choose between economy and law.'

'No, don't choose law! You'll grow up to be like my mom!' he begged. I laughed.

'What's wrong with her?'

'What's not wrong with her? She always comes home all grumpy and pissed, her clients piss her off, her coworkers piss her off… everything pisses her off. Come on, I don't want you to be like that.'

I smiled. 'Don't worry, I won't be like that… hopefully.'

'I think you should do economy… Sounds cooler' he said and I laughed. 'You're good with numbers and you're organized and stuff.'

'Oh, if only was that was all they required… I remember that when I was little, I always wanted to be a politician.'

'That's cool! Like changing the world and crap?'

'Yeah, something like that… except the older I get, changing the world seems harder and harder…'

'Hey, no one said it would be easy' he added and I giggled.

We were silent for a moment. I reached for the popcorn and put some in my mouth. Chad looked at the box.

'Do you still have some left?' he asked. I picked up the box and looked inside.

'Yeah, you want some?'

'Yup' he leaned towards the box and looked at his hands. 'My hands are sort of dirty… I shouldn't have played with the grass.'

'Oh, that's not a problem. Come here.'

I took a one popcorn thingy out of the box and held it in front of his face. He gave me a confused look.

'You want it or not?' I asked. He smiled, opened his mouth and I put popcorn on his tongue.

'Thanks' he said after he swallowed the little piece. 'What time do you have to be home?'

'I don't know… My parents are out, they will probably be home late at night… When I was leaving the house, my sister was going out too… She told me I had to get home before mom and dad' I explained.

'So we still have some time, right?' he asked.

'Yeah, we do. Why? Don't you like spending time with me?' I asked jokingly. He chuckled.

'You're kidding, right? This is the chilliest date I've ever been on.'

'Oh really? And how many girls have you charmed with that line?' I asked and smiled.

'Only three… But this time I really mean it' he said and smirked. I blushed and looked away.

'Yeah, right' I said sarcastically, which made him laugh.

'Hey, how about we get going? It's getting late, I wanna get you home before 8.'

I looked around and finally realized it was starting to get dark outside.

'How long have we been here?' I asked and looked up at Chad. He got up and held his hand for me.

'It's 7.40, so for a while now' he answered and smiled. I took his hand and he pulled me up. I stood up and my face was almost touching his. He stared at me for a moment and, even though it was a great opportunity, he stepped back and looked around to check if we didn't leave anything behind. It seemed as he was avoiding any kissing situation. I couldn't help, but wonder why.

'You think your parents are home yet?' he asked when we walked out of the park.

'I don't think so… I hope they're not.'

'Why?'

'I'm not sure how I'd explain you walking me home.'

'What, you they wouldn't believe we were out… together?'

'Honestly, no. I think a story about how you saved me from sinking Titanic and how we got chased by dinosaurs at the Jurassic Park would be more believable to them.'

Chad laughed and put his hands in his pockets. 'The funniest thing is that's actually true.'

'What would your parents say, huh?'

'My parents would be happy, especially my mom, because she likes you.'

'My parents like you too… I just think they'd be surprised. Like really surprised.'

'No doubt about that. I'm worried about your dad's reaction, though.'

'Why?'

'Doesn't he torture you with that whole "don't date guys from my basketball team" thing?'

'Yeah, he does' I admitted. 'He kept telling Destiny that all the time, but she ignored it. She did it anyway. He never told me that, because he said I was "way smarter than doing that". That's why he was mad when he found out about Derrick.'

'But I don't get it. What's wrong with you dating us?'

'There is nothing wrong with it… It's about my dad's job. Destiny got her heart broken by half of the guys in his team. He was in a dilemma, because his daughter got hurt and he wanted to choke the dude, but he couldn't because he was the coach. Same with me and Derrick. He knew that Derrick spread all those nasty rumors and he wanted to beat the hell out of him, but he couldn't. It put him in an awkward situation. That's why he tells us not to do it.'

'I get it' Chad said when he opened the gate for me. I smiled and walked through it, he followed me. 'But I'm not like that. I'd never do something like that to you… to anyone.'

'I know' I said and smiled at him. 'But you know, it's my dad. He's overprotective.'

'Just like every dad.'

We walked to the back door, because we didn't want anyone to see Chad walking me home that late.

'Every dad that has a daughter' I corrected. We stopped at the door and I faced him.

'Okay, yeah.'

We stared at each other for a moment. He looked down at my lips.

'_Finally_' I thought.

He slowly started leaning in and my heart started racing.

'_Come on, come on_' I kept thinking. I wished he could hear my thoughts.

But, of course, he changed his mind. He stepped back and looked down.

'Um, I better go. It's late. Your parents might be back soon. Don't wanna get you into trouble' he said shyly. I nodded and he turned around to leave.

'Can't you just… do it?' I finally asked. He turned his head to me and gave me a questioning look. I smiled. Thank God, he got the clue. He smirked and walked back to me. I froze. He leaned in and his lips gently touched mine.

At that moment I was floating. Not physically of course, but that's what it felt like. The butterflies in my stomach, which I thought were poisoned by all the meaningless kisses with Derrick, woke up. My heart was about to pound out of my chest. However, I managed to control myself and not faint.

His hands slid down my arms and stopped at my hands. He took them in his and deepened the kiss. I don't know how that was even possible, by my heart started beating faster. After a few seconds I relaxed and enjoyed the kiss, which wasn't hard at all.

He pecked me for the last time and pulled away. I opened my eyes and looked straight into his. He smiled and I blushed.

'I'll see you tomorrow, right?' he whispered.

'Yeah…' I whispered back.

'Bye Tay.'

'Bye Chad.'

He kissed me gently on the cheek, let go of my hands and started walking away. I smiled to myself and entered my house quietly. It was dark inside, so I figured out no one was home. I closed the door and leaned on it. My legs felt like they were made out of cotton. I sighed happily.

Suddenly, the light tuned on and I saw Destiny standing in the middle of the room holding a knife. I screamed and fell on the floor.

'Oh God Taylor, it's only you. You scared the fuck out of me' she said and put the knife away. I gave her a furious look.

'What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you have a knife?!' I screamed at her. She shrugged.

'I thought you were a robber or something. I had to protect myself and my baby' she explained. I rolled my eyes.

'You're nuts.'

'Sorry' she said and pulled her hand out. I grabbed it and got up. 'Why are you sneaking in through the back door like a fucking creep?'

'Can't I use the back door?'

'Yeah, but you never do.'

'Well, now I will. So please, don't wait for me at the door with a knife' I said and headed out of the kitchen. My sister followed me.

'So, where were you?' she asked. I stopped walking and faced her.

'At the movies.'

'What did you watch?'

'The Amazing Spider-man.'

'Really?' she asked and gave me a suspicious look. 'Prove it.'

'How the heck am I supposed to prove it?' I asked, but then I remembered something. I reached down to the back pocket of my jeans and took the ticket out. I sighed in relief and handed it to her. 'Here you go.'

She took it from me and examined it. 'You're lucky.'

'Good. Can I go now?'

She gave me another suspicious look. 'You're hiding something.'

'Am I?' I asked, because I didn't want to confront her about her allegations.

'Yeah. I just don't know what, but don't worry. I'll find out' she threatened. I rolled my eyes.

'You do that. Can I go now?' I asked. I was a little irritated.

'Yeah, go ahead.'

'Thanks.'

I ran upstairs, to my room and closed the door behind me. I fell on the bed and sighed happily. I knew that lying to Destiny wasn't the best idea, especially because she meant well and she wasn't against Chad and I. But I wasn't ready to tell anyone. That was our first date. I liked him a lot, but I still didn't know what kind of boyfriend he was. I didn't want to let anyone know until I was sure about this. The only person who was allowed to know was Gaby, who I called right away. I promised myself not to tell anyone, but Gaby didn't count.

Taylor M.


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, so let me start off by saying SORRY to everyone who had to wait for like a month for this. :(**

**It's just that I'm having a really hard time dealing all this with school. It's really hard for me, because as you may already know, I moved countries and that means different language and everything... It's gonna take me a while to adjust, which is a whole different story. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to find excuses for my laziness and the fact that I've been completely blocked for the past month, but I'm working on it. Some of you guys are impatient and I understand it, but try to find some understanding for me. :)**

**Anyways, that's it for today's ramble haha my life's weird and so am I and I don't expect any of you to get it ;)**  
><strong>For now, I'm leaving you with this chaotic ass chapter and I promise the next one's better. :)<strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

**p.s. sorry for any spelling mistakes, I promise I'll fix it tomorrow. I just wanted to get this chapter out already because it's been driving me insane.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>I ran into the school building and saw the corridors were filled with people. I relaxed and slowed down. I took a look at the clock to see what the time was. I ran to school for no reason; the bell wouldn't ring for another 10 minutes. I walked up to my locker and opened it. When I checked my schedule for Monday, Gaby walked up to me.<p>

'Hey Tay!' she greeted. I smiled.

'Hey' was all I could say, because I was still trying to catch my breath. She noticed that.

'What's up with you?'

'Nothing. I thought I was going to be late.'

'How come? The bell rings in like eight minutes' she said while looking at her watch.

'I know. It's just that my watch is being an ass. It must have stopped at 7:56 last night. I kept looking at my cell phone all morning, until I left the house. Then I looked at my watch and thought it was late. So I ran here.'

'Awww, that sucks. Get it fixed?'

'It's not gonna work. I changed its batteries already, but it either stops or it just stops for like five minutes and then comes back to life as if nothing ever happened. And I'm five minutes late.'

Gaby laughed. 'Time to get a new one.'

'Yeah. Or it's time to start using my phone like other teenagers do.'

'Yeah, they're almost always accurate… Anyways, you excited for today?'

'Why?' I asked as I looked through my locker.

'Today is the day when you finally get to treat Chad as your boyfriend.'

'Shhh' I smiled. 'It's not official yet. Plus, I'm not sure he's my boyfriend. We went out only once.'

'And you kissed… and a little birdie told me it was quite a kiss' she said smirking. I blushed and giggled.

'It sure was… But I don't know, I guess we'll take it slow… Or not. See, I'm not even sure yet! It's too early to tell.'

'Well, something tells me you guys will be a great couple' she smiled.

'Yeah, though I'm not sure East High is ready for that.'

'Oh come on! If it was ready for me and Troy, it sure is ready for you guys.'

I smiled weakly and thought about it. The idea of being Chad's girlfriend appealed to me a lot, but I was afraid of how the people at school might react to us. First of all, I was famous as the most stuck-up nerd and he was the most popular guy in our school. We were totally opposite in that case. Second of all, the school was full of Chad's ex-girlfriends and I feared that they could make the whole school hate me. It was silly, yet I couldn't stop thinking about that.

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by someone touching my arm. I got scared, so I jumped up. Gaby giggled and I turned around to see who it was. It was Chad. He smiled at me.

'Hey. Did I scare you?' he asked. I smiled and went back to searching through my locker.

'Yeah, a little.'

'Sorry' he chuckled. 'I didn't mean to.'

'Someone has a guilty conscience' Gaby suggested jokingly. I squinted my eyes and gave her an irritated look, while Chad just laughed.

'I hope I didn't interrupt anything important' he said. Gaby shook her head.

'Nah, we were just talking.'

'About?'

'You know, stuff' she replied and smiled mysteriously. Chad gave me a confused look and I rolled my eyes.

'My watch broke and we discussed that' I cleared up. 'I have a problem with being late and that's why it bothers me. The fact that I can be late disturbs me. A lot.'

'Oh' Chad smiled. 'It's early in the morning, but you girls start the day off with some heavy topics' he joked. I smiled a little.

'You know us' I said and started sorting my books. Gaby looked at her watch.

'Five more minutes… I'll let you guys talk a little' she said and smirked at me. 'Chad, have you seen Troy?'

'Yeah, he was by the vending machine down the hall' he answered.

'Thanks. See you guys later!' she said and started walking away. Chad walked around me and leaned on the locker next to mine.

'She knows, doesn't she?' he asked and looked at me smiling. I raised my eyebrows.

'Of course she does' I responded. He chuckled.

'You guys really tell each other everything.'

I smiled. 'That's a big thing, I had to tell her.'

'I thought we weren't official yet.'

I stopped looking through my locker and looked at him. He might have been smiling, but he wanted a serious answer.

'Well, no…' I started slowly.

'I want us to be' he said. I smiled.

'Me too… But you know how it is.'

He sighed and looked around. A lot of people were passing by, but only a few paid attention to us. That would change if they knew we were dating.

'You know what' I said. 'I thought about it a little… maybe, before telling the world about us, we could just keep it a secret until we are sure about it.'

'That's a good idea…' he admitted. 'Which means at school we pretend nothing is going on and when we are alone-'

'Yeah' I cut him off, before he got some dirty thoughts. He chuckled and put his hands in his pockets.

'So basically no one knows except us and Gaby' he said.

'Didn't you tell Troy?'

'I did… He knew I liked you, only because he caught me sneaking around your locker. I had to tell him what I was doing, before he told Tony I was being creepy. Otherwise I wouldn't tell him.'

'Are you excited to tell Tony?' I asked jokingly. Chad sighed.

'Very funny… He'll kill me, won't he?'

'Not necessarily. To be honest, he has no impact on who I am dating and he never will.'

'Yeah, but he's my bro… I don't want him to hate me…' he said and looked down. Suddenly, he got an idea. 'Wait, he's moving to New York this summer, isn't he?'

'Yeah…'

'That means we don't have to tell him… at all' he said smiling. I laughed and shook my head.

'Stop worrying, it's not like he will do anything crazy' I assured and looked into my bag. 'Damn it already! I can't find my Biology book!'

'Oh, it's right here' he said and reached to his bag. He took out my Biology book and handed it to me. 'Thanks for letting me borrow it.'

'No problem. You could have told me about it earlier, though. I wasted 5 minutes of my life trying to find it.' I took the book away from him and put it in my bag. 'Did you study?'

'Yeah' he replied. I gave him a suspicious look.

'Chad.'

'Okay, maybe a little… But I did. I mean, I read the chapter!'

I shook my head. 'That's not enough.'

'Whatever. I'll just copy from you' he said and smiled. I giggled and closed my locker.

'Of course I'll let you' I said sarcastically, which made him frown.

'Hey, what's that supposed to mean?'

'Hey Chad' some girl said. We both turned around and she waved at him as she passed by.

'Hey…' he replied and looked back at me. I raised my eyebrows.

'Who was that?' I asked curiously.

'No idea.'

'Why did you say hi to her then?'

'She said hey to me…' he explained. I laughed and put my bag on my shoulder.

'So you have no idea who she was?' I asked when we started walking down the corridor.

'Nope. I think she might be a cheerleader… or something. I think I've seen her around… school' he replied. I couldn't help laughing; he was so confused and cute at the same time.

'It's okay.'

'What, are you jealous?' he asked smirking. We stopped in front of my class and I turned to him.

'Actually, yeah' I admitted, which made him grin. I didn't let him answer, though. 'I'll see ya later.'

'Wait' he said and discreetly grabbed my hand. I faced him, giving him a funny look.

'What?'

'It's still break.'

The bell rang and he mouthed "shit". I laughed.

'You'll be late' I said. Chad looked around.

'I wanna be like that, Tay' he whispered and pointed at Troy, who was getting a goodbye kiss from Gaby. I smiled and fixed the collar of his jacket.

'Soon, don't worry' I whispered. He smiled weakly and I could see his eyes fill up with hope.

'Can't wait' he replied.

'See you in Math' I said, smiled at him and started walking towards the door.

'I'll save you a seat!' he called and ran to his next class.

I spent the whole history class doing something I shouldn't be doing: daydreaming. Even though it was almost the last week of school, the teacher continued his lesson as if the school year was to last forever. Honestly, colonialism was the last thing I wanted to hear about. I kept thinking about Chad and I. After I openly admitted to liking him, I started expressing my feelings more freely. Before I just kept holding them back, I kept them only to myself. However, once I opened up, I realized how much I've hid in there. For instance, I thought I only had a crush on Chad, but in reality I couldn't stop thinking about him, I couldn't take my eyes off his gorgeous smile and when I was alone, I wished he was there with me. I understood I liked him way more than I thought and that scared me a little, but I decided to let my feelings loose and enjoy life.

When the bell finally rang, I got up and hurried down the corridor to Math because I knew he was there. On my way there, I got stopped by Tony, who wanted me to lend him 10 bucks. We fought for a moment, but I gave up when the bell rang. I gave him 20 and demanded the change next break. When he agreed, I ran to Math. I made it, because the teacher wasn't there yet. I slowed down when I walked inside, just so I could take a look around. I found Chad and two empty seat next to him, however there were notebooks and pens on the desk and I understood someone was already sitting there. The only empty seat left was right in front of Chad. I moved the hair out of my face and sat there. He smiled when he saw me and leaned forward so that his face was next to mine.

'Sorry. I told them it was taken, but they asked who I kept the seat for and I had to give up' he explained.

'It's okay' I said and took my notebook out. 'Maybe it's better like that.'

'I'm not happy about it either' he said and I smiled. His friends came back and sat beside him. I turned my back to them and looked at the board. The teacher wasn't there yet.

'Hey dudes, look who honored us with her presence' Chad said jokingly and the boys chuckled. I smiled to myself, making sure they couldn't see it. He started teasing me as usual, only because he wanted his friends to think nothing has changed. 'It's the Nerd Queen.'

'Seriously? Can't you come up with something more original?' I tried to sound irritated. I was still looking at the board. 'You invented the 'Nerd Queen' like 5 years ago.'

'It still fits you' he snapped. I couldn't see his face, but from his voice I could tell he was smiling.

'You didn't even bother to make up a new name for me. I see your creativity reflects your maturity: you're still 12 years old' I replied. The boys laughed at Chad, but I knew he kept smiling.

'Wow, really? Is that all you can tell me?' he asked. I faced him.

'Yeah. I want to keep this argument on your level. You know, so you can follow' I said and smiled like an angel. His friends laughed once again.

'You should be a comedian' he said sarcastically.

'I know. I should work as a backup, in case your show's a flop.'

While the guys were chuckling, Chad and I were staring at each other. We both had, what seemed to be, evil smiles on our faces, but in reality that wasn't even close. We had a lot of fun pretending to hate each other, mainly because we spent most our lives doing that.

'That's a very brave thing to say to someone who's on top of the pyramid' he pointed out.

'What pyramid? Not the intellectual one, that's for sure' I said and turned my back to them. The guys laughed once again. I rolled my eyes and faced them. 'That "compliment" was for all of you.'

Chad's friends got serious and looked at each other, while he chuckled.

'Wow Taylor, you're so witty' he commented sarcastically. I smiled.

'Only because you're making it so easy' I replied. He looked into my eyes and winked. I smiled once again and turned my back to them.

While I was trying to catch up with the Math teacher's writing pace, a folded piece of paper landed in front of me. I raised my eyebrows, put my pen down, picked up the paper and opened it under the table, so no one could see. Here's what it said:

_let's go out today?  
>a) yes<br>b) A  
>c) B<br>C.D. =)_

I discretely smiled to myself, picked up my pen and added:

_d) maybe ;)_

I circled _d)_, folded it and wondered how to give it back to him. I figured he told his friends he wrote something nasty on it, because I could hear them chuckling. I got an idea, made a mad face and turned to them.

'Here. Do me a favor and choke on this' I whispered as I put the paper in front of Chad. I looked back at the board. Wow, we really knew how to pull of all the hate.

When the bell rang I got up and casually walked out of the room like everyone else. Chad and his friends were the last ones to get out, but he caught up with me.

'Wait' he said as he ran up to me. I slowed down and looked at him.

'What?'

'That, back there… Pretty hot' he admitted and smirked. I laughed.

'Well, I tried. And I think we could make this work.'

'No way. I want everyone to know that I was the one who managed to win Taylor's heart. Plus, Andrew said it's obvious you've got hots for me.'

I gave him a shocked look. 'What did you tell him?'

'I said you were hot and stuff, but too smart for me' he said and smiled, which made me giggle.

'Be careful, we wanna keep it a secret until September.'

'I know, I know… Hey, what's up with "maybe"? Don't you wanna go out today?'

'I'll see' I replied and the bell rang. 'I gotta run now, see you after school.'

'Alright. I don't have practice today, so just wait outside.'

'Sure' I said and smiled at him. 'Bye.'

The rest of the day was rather boring. I spent most of the classes just doodling and clock watching. I occasionally looked out of the window, just to check whether the weather was going to change soon. If it was still sunny outside, Chad and I could go to the park and hang out there before going home. I smiled just at the thought of that.

'Taylor' Gaby whispered and nudged me. I looked at her.

'What?'

She didn't say anything, she just looked up. I looked up also and saw the Chemistry teacher standing in front of me.

'Ms. McKessie, can you see the reaction of lithium hydroxide and carbon dioxide out there?' he asked and pointed out of the window. Even though I knew it wasn't there, I checked before answering.

'No…' I replied.

'That's because it's on the whiteboard' he said. 'Are you paying attention?'

'Yes, sir' I lied.

'Really? Then would you be so kind and introduce us to the law of conservation of mass?'

Everyone's eyes were on me. I gulped and rubbed my hands nervously.

'The law of conservation of mass states that a mass of an isolated system will remain constant over time' I replied confidently.

'What is an isolated system?'

'Isolated system is closed to all transfers of mass and energy, meaning no mas or energy can enter or exit it' I explained.

'Why is this law mostly just theory?'

'Because a perfectly isolated system does not exist.'

He looked at me for a moment, then he spun on his heel and started walking towards the board.

'Ms. McKessie' he started. 'If you were actually listening to us, you would have known that we were talking about the law of definite proportions, which states…?' he cut off here, so that I could continue.

'That a chemical compound always contains exactly the same proportion of elements by mass' I finished. He stopped at his desk and nodded.

'Very well. Despite your impressive knowledge, which we are all aware of, I will need you to pay attention, is that clear?' he asked and looked at me.

'Yes, sir' I answered and looked down.

'Good. Now back to stoichiometry. Anyone finished with balancing the equation?'

Everyone took their eyes off me and looked back at the board. I took a deep breath. I knew that Mr. Rodriguez didn't mean to embarrass me in front of the class, all he wanted to do was to see whether I was paying attention or not. I was one of his best students, I guess he was just surprised to catch me staring out of the window on his lesson. To be honest, I was surprised too.

'You okay?' Gaby whispered. I picked my pen up and started balancing the equation.

'Yeah. I was just thinking. Thanks for letting me know he was coming towards us' I whispered sarcastically.

'Sorry. I was busy solving this' she said and pointed at her notebook.

'It's okay. I don't wanna get caught again.'

After the bell rang, said bye to Gaby and rushed out of the school. Coming out of the school on a sunny day had to be the best feeling ever. Joy left me when I saw Chad waiting… with Tony. I rolled my eyes and walked up to them.

'Hey guys' I greeted. 'Who are you waiting for?'

'You' Tony replied.

'Why?'

'Pops told me to.'

'Alright. Can we go home?'

They both nodded their heads and we started walking. I was a few steps ahead of them.

'Why was the practice called off?' I asked.

'Teachers have a meeting or something' Chad explained. 'Coach had to be there.'

'Yeah, they are probably discussing how to make our lives more miserable than they already are' Tony added. 'Sucks to be you guys.'

'Why?' Chad asked.

'Cause you have to say there for another two years… Two more weeks and I'm out of here.'

'Are you really that excited to go to college?' I asked.

'Yeah! Living with my boys, partying all night, chicks everywhere…' Tony said and smiled dreamily. I rolled my eyes.

'What about studying?'

'Studying?' he scoffed. 'Don't be dumb, Taylor. No one goes to college just to study.'

I shook my head and ignored what he said. I had no energy to fight with him.

'Where are you gonna live?' Chad asked.

'I don't know, probably we will rent an apartment together.'

I laughed.

'What?' Tony asked.

'Nothing, I just imagined it. Dirty clothes just wallowing around… Food thrown all over the place… And the smell.'

'What makes you think that?'

'That's what your room looks like' I answered. Chad laughed.

'Whatever. You're just mad 'cause I'm leaving and you need to stay and put up with Mom and Dad's bullshit' Tony said before looking down.

'Yeah, probably. I'll have to stand Mom's cooking, free Internet, free TV, warm bed and people doing my laundry. Yeah, sucks to be me, indeed' I replied sarcastically. Tony shook his head.

'Whatever. Oh, speaking of party… There's going to be a party the last day of school, in the deserted warehouse down the main street. Wanna come?' he asked Chad.

'Isn't it only for seniors?' I asked before Chad could even reply. I heard gossips around the school about it. You see, the warehouse was a place where parties were forbidden, however that didn't stop the kids from our town from throwing them there.

'Yeah, but if you're on the team, you can come too' Tony cleared up and looked back at Chad. 'So?'

'I don't know, man…' Chad said as he scratched the back of his head.

'Come on!' Tony whined. 'There will be music, booze, girls..'

I rolled my eyes once again. My brother was just being his usual, barbarian self. He was going to do something bad and he wanted to drag Chad into doing it too. Normally I wouldn't care, but since Chad was technically my boyfriend, I was curious of his response.

'I can't, man' he finally answered. 'I'm going to New York the next day. My parents will know something happened.'

'Alright, then you don't have to drink. Just come to hook up with someone…' Tony kept convincing.

'I'd love to, but I kinda have my eye on someone right now…' Chad said. My eyes widened, but I didn't look back at them. I just continued walking, pretending I wasn't listening to their conversation.

'Really? Who?'

'I can't tell you, bro. We're both not sure yet...'

'K, then just invite her to the party. Who knows, it could be your chance to hit it' he said and laughed, while Chad just smirked. I sighed.

'Tony, can't you just get laid already and stop being an ass?' I asked and looked at him. He smiled.

'Don't worry, sis. That's already been taken care of' he replied and smirked. I shuddered in disgust.

'Ew… Just… Ew, Tony!' I said and he laughed. 'What did you tell her? That you had a month left to live? Poor girl.'

Chad laughed and Tony shook his head.

'Anyways, as I was saying… Come on man, it will be fun!' Tony continued convincing Chad. He looked at me as if he was looking for an answer, but I turned my back at him.

'Let him go already' I told Tony. 'How doesn't want to go.'

'He can speak for himself. And stop trying to bring everyone down, Taylor. Just because no one invited you to the party doesn't mean you have to talk people out of it' Tony snapped.

It took all the energy I had inside of me to stop myself from turning around and screaming 'I'm dating your best friend' in his face. My brother considered me as an ultimate loser, who had no social life whatsoever. He believed, just because he was my brother and didn't see anything interesting in me, other people didn't as well. If it wasn't for my lack of interest in what others thought about me, my brother's comments would completely destroy my self-esteem. I wanted to see his face when he heard that I, apparently the biggest loser in the world, was dating the most popular guy in school, who also happened to be his best friend. I wanted him to know that a person who had interest in me really existed.

However, I knew Chad and I agreed to keep it a secret and I also knew that Chad was afraid of Tony's reaction, so I didn't say anything. I just looked down and continued walking in silence. Fortunately, Chad was fed up with Tony's comments.

'Hey man, stop' he said. Tony gave him a confused look.

'What?'

'I don't know if you're trying to be funny, but it's really mean.'

'Oh come on! It's Taylor!' Tony said, as if it was more than okay to make fun of me. Chad frowned.

'Exactly, it's Taylor. So stop it' he said seriously and we continued walking in silence. I smiled a little. It was great to have someone stand up for me.

I wasn't mad at Tony, only because I was used to his idiotic behavior. He annoyed me every day, so I sort of got used to it and learned to ignore it. The only thing that bothered me was that I didn't really get to spend time with Chad that day. At school we pretended nothing between us changed and acted neutral around each other. I thought I'd get some alone time with him after school, but then Tony decided he'd walk home with us. When we stopped in front of our house, all I could do it wave to Chad and go home. It bothered me a little, but I knew that if we wanted to keep it a secret for a while, it was the only thing I could do.

I was in my room listening to music, when the door opened and Tony peaked in. I took my earphones out of my ears and gave him an annoyed look.

'Hey' he said. 'I knocked, but you didn't hear… So I came in… Can I stay?'

'Why?' I asked as I paused the music on my iPod.

'I wanna talk to you' he explained. I sighed and looked down at my earphones.

'About?'

'Umm…' He closed the door and looked around my room. 'Stuff.'

'Look Tony, no offense, but I have better things to do than discussing "stuff" with you. So, if you don't mind…' I said and pointed at the door. He shook his head, grabbed the chair, pulled it to the bottom of my bed and sat on it.

'I wanna say… I feel stupid… for what I said today' he said and looked at me.

'It's fine, don't worry about' I assured, even though I really didn't feel that way.

'No, it's not. I know I'm mean to you and I really don't mean to hurt you by that… But sometimes I go too far, huh?'

'Yeah, sometimes…' I admitted.

'Well, I'm… sorry about that' he said. I could see genuine honesty in his eyes.

'It's alright' I smiled at him.

'Great' He smiled also. 'I just say all of that… because you're my little sister, I have to make fun of you.'

'I don't mind that… I just don't like you calling me a loser and a nerd all the time… Especially in front of other people.'

'Okay, done. I will only call you a nerd when we are alone' he said and smiled. I threw my pillow at him and he laughed.

'Ass. Why do you always try to embarrass me in front of others anyway?'

'Because it's fun. Plus, I don't want anyone to think you're cool.'

'Why?'

'Because you're smart and stuff… And if you were also cool, I'd be less popular than you' he said and he threw the pillow back at me. I caught it and raised my eyebrows.

'You less popular than me? Come on, you are like the most popular guy in the whole school.'

'Yeah, I know… Hey, when I leave, you have to be cool. It's like a family tradition.'

'How am I supposed to do that when you already told everyone I'm boring?' I asked and threw the pillow at him once again. He caught it and smiled.

'I only did that because I don't want my dumb friends all over you.'

'Really?' I laughed. 'Like they care about me.'

'Well, I catch them checking you out all the time… It annoys me. Plus, Pops told me to keep them away from you.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Did he really?'

'Yeah.. He doesn't want that whole Derrick thing again… And you know how it was with Destiny…'

'Well, let's not compare me to her. We are totally different. I can't imagine myself dating the whole basketball team.'

'Good' he said and threw the pillow at me. 'I don't want my lil' sister dating any of those dumbasses.'

I laughed. 'Dumbasses, huh?'

'Yeah. You have no idea how they treat girls.'

'Don't you also treat girls that way…?'

'Yeah, but… I don't want anyone treating you like that.'

I put the pillow on my lap and looked at him. That was the sweetest thing he ever told me and I was speechless.

'What?' he asked, because I was staring at him. I snapped out of it and looked down.

'No, it's nothing… But not all guys on the team are that bad.'

'Well… Troy is like the only normal one' he admitted.

'Okay, but what if… hypothetically speaking, I liked one of them?'

He frowned. 'Who?'

'I'm just saying… What if one of them was to ask me out?'

'I don't like that, Taylor' he said seriously. I rolled my eyes and sat closer to him.

'What if?'

'I don't know… Look, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. It's your life. I just don't want some fools spreading rumors about you again.'

I sighed. 'Don't worry, I won't make the same mistake again. I won't go out with a dude I don't know' I assured him. Tony smiled and looked down.

'Good. But, if something happens, you call me. And I'll deal with it' he said and looked up at me. I smiled.

'Deal.'

He balled his fist and held it up in front of me. I giggled and fist bumped him. Maybe it was only a small gesture, but it sure meant a lot to us.

Suddenly the door opened and Destiny came in. When she realized Tony was in my room, she froze.

'What's going on?' she asked. She seemed scared, but Tony only laughed.

'Don't worry about it' he said getting up. 'It's all good now.'

My sister gave me a confused look, but decided to leave it. 'Um, okay. Anyways… Mom has to stay longer at work, so dad's ordering pizza. You guys want the usual?'

'Make it double cheese' Tony said and walked up to the door.

'Yeah, he's right' I agreed.

'Alright… What are you doing here anyways?' she asked our brother.

'Just being a big brother' he said mysteriously and walked out of the room. Destiny crossed her arms and looked at me.

'You guys were conspiring against me, weren't you?' she asked. I laughed and shook my head.

'No, sorry. Just talking.'

'Hmm… You are acting weird lately' she said and looked around my room, as if I was hiding something. 'I told you I'd find out sooner or later, right?'

'Yup, you did' I replied.

'Well, I will, so watch your every step' she said seriously and walked out of my room. I laughed to myself. Destiny hated when I had secrets; she wanted to know what every member of our family was doing and what they were up to. Sometimes her curiosity was beyond normal and she wasn't stopping until she knew everything.

I got up from my bed and closed the door, when my phone rang. I picked it up from the desk and looked at it. It was Chad. I smiled and answered it.

'Hello?'

'Hey, it's me' he said. 'What'cha doing?'

'Nothing, just sitting in my room, bored…'

'Well, I can see that.'

I walked up to the balcony door and saw him standing near the window in his room. He smiled and waved, which made me laugh.

'You know this is creepy, right?' I asked when I waved back. He laughed.

'It's not my fault you live next door and I can see your room from my room. If that makes you feel any better, I don't do this too often.'

'Oh really?' I asked and leaned on the door. 'How often is "not too often"?'

'Just sometimes' he explained and smiled. I laughed once again.

'What's up with you? How's life?'

'It's boring… The grass seems greener on your side of the fence.'

I smiled. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means I'd rather be with you than all by myself. Plus, we didn't get to spend time together all day and that makes me sad' he said and made a sad face. I giggled.

'Awww, poor thing. I'd invite you over to my balcony, but my dad's home… so is my sister and my brother.'

'I know… We have to figure out a way to meet… I don't want to see you on the weekends only.'

'We could go to the park tomorrow, after school' I suggested.

'I have practice after class.'

'Okay, then I'll wait for you there.'

'For an hour?'

'Yeah, I can do my homework and stuff… I don't mind sitting there' I said and smiled. His face brightened up.

'Awesome.'

'Just get rid of your shade.'

'What shade?'

'Tony' I said and he laughed.

'Don't worry, I will. I'll tell him I have to go visit my grandma or something.'

'Since when is "grandma" code for "Taylor", huh?' I asked jokingly. He smiled and shook his head.

'You're right. "My smart, gorgeous girlfriend" is code for "Taylor", but that's a bit too obvious' he said. I blushed and looked down at my feet. I adored how he came up with all the cute things just like that.

'True, it's quite obvious' I admitted and he chuckled. 'So, tomorrow after school?'

'Yup' He nodded his head and smirked. 'But can I count on a good-morning-kiss before school?'

'We'll see' I replied and smiled evilly. 'Bye, Chad.'

'Bye, Tay.'

I hung up and we both put our phones down, but we didn't break the eye contact. He was still there, smiling at me. Finally, he winked at me. I smiled, waved my hand in response and we both got back to what we were doing a moment ago.

Two weeks from that day Chad was leaving to New York for summer. We managed to spend those two weeks together, mainly hanging out after school… just the two of us. And I enjoyed it very much. Dating wasn't much different than our friendship; we talked about life and our problems, dreams, memories… I could always count on him whenever something was bothering me; he never failed to make me laugh. We were just a bit more opened about everything, he'd tell me more about his feelings and I'd tell him how I felt. And we occasionally kissed, which turned out to be Chad's really strong side. Thanks to him, my skills in that area could develop too. I knew that Chad was a lot more experienced in dating and at first I thought that would be a problem, but that wasn't true. At all. He wasn't a type of guy who pushes girls to do things. He was different. He was patient, understanding, caring and quite mature for a teenage guy. I actually felt he liked me for who I was, not only for my looks like Derrick did. Chad made me feel special and helped me realize I meant something to someone.

We tested our "secret relationship" at school, but also outside of the school building. On the weekend it was Chad's birthday, so he decided to throw a party for all his friends as usual. And of course I was invited, like every year ever since we were five years old. Except this time I was his girlfriend, but we couldn't show that at all. We basically spoke only twice, because Chad was always circled by his friends and there was no way we could get some alone time. It was annoying as hell, but we both knew it wasn't time yet.

Once again, I was the last person to take a shower. Mom came home late, so she took a shower first and went to sleep. Next were Dad and Tony. We stayed up late to finish watching a movie and it was my mistake I didn't make it to the bathroom before Destiny. She took forever in there. I perfectly knew her routine; first taking all that make up off her face, then a half an hour bath, then washing her hair, then applying all possible hair products on her hair, THEN applying all creams we had in the house. She was really clever, because she sneaked out of the living room and ran upstairs seconds before the movie ended. I was mad when I realized she was in there and I even banged on the door to make her get out, but my father came out of the bedroom and disciplined me about making so much noise when my mother was sleeping next door. I apologized and told him that Destiny would take ages in the bathroom, but he only told me to let her go because she was pregnant and I didn't want to mess with a pregnant woman. I gave up on trying to get her out of there and managed to get in when she was done, which was around 2:30am. As a result, I was out of the shower around 3, when everyone was already sleeping.

I quietly walked down the hall, came into my room and closed the door. I was really pissed at my sister, but I was too tired to go and fight with her. I decided to leave it for the morning. I turned the lamp on, took my robe off and fell on the bed. I was exhausted. After the long day at school, which was also the last day of the school year, all I could think about was to get some sleep. The whole day was just running around, saying bye to all my friends, then saying bye to them for the 5th time already and then the guys decided to play the last game in this "squad", so we stayed for that too. And then I spent the rest of the day with Chad, Gaby and Troy at the amusement park. The boys stopped at their favorite game, which was shooting balls into a little basket and they won a toy for Gaby and I. Chad chose a quite big tiger plushy, which was the biggest yet the cutest toy in my room at the time. I smiled at the thought of that and rested my head on the tiger. I don't even know when my eyes closed, but I felt I was slowly drifting away to sleep. I curled up and I was at the edge of falling asleep, when my phone vibrated. I reached for it and looked at it. It was a massage from Chad and it said:

_you asleep?_

I rubbed my eyes and the only response I could think of was:

_No, I'm not._

A few seconds later the next message came:

_then check your balcony_

I raised my eyebrows. I had no idea what he meant by that, but I wanted to check it. I got up, walked up to my balcony door and spread the curtains. Chad was sitting outside on the bench. I shook my head and opened the door.

'What are you doing?' I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

'I'm leaving tomorrow. I wanted to say bye' he explained, which made me feel all warm inside. I smiled and sat next to him.

'But you already said bye today.'

'I know, but I said bye to everyone. I wanted to say bye to you.'

'That's nice' I said and yawned. My head fell on his shoulder. 'But it's really late. Couldn't you do it in the morning?'

'My flight is at 8am, meaning we'll be leaving at 6' he said and looked at me. 'I didn't want to wake you up that early.'

'So you decided to keep me up this late, huh?' I asked jokingly and looked into his eyes. He chuckled.

'Well, you weren't sleeping anyways… How come?'

'Destiny got the bathroom before me' I explained.

'Ow. That sucks.'

'Yeah, it does. What's your excuse for not sleeping yet?'

'I'm not tired… Plus I saw the light in your room and thought I'd say goodbye right now.'

I lifted my head up and smiled at him. 'Well, bye' I said and pecked him on the lips. He didn't seem satisfied.

'That's it? Come on, I'm leaving for 2 or maybe even 3 weeks!' he whined. I giggled.

'The less you get, the more you'll miss me.'

'I'll miss you no matter what' he said and looked into my eyes. I smiled, put my hand on his cheek and pulled him into a deep kiss. I felt him smile and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. After a moment I pulled away and smiled.

'Better?' I asked.

'Much better' he replied and held me tight to his body. I sighed, rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. My forehead was touching his neck and I realized he smelled amazing. It must have been his shower gel or something.

'I'm gonna miss you' I said quietly before yawning again. He rested his head on mine and rubbed my back.

'I'll miss you too, Tay. I'll Skype you every day.'

'You don't have to, just Skype me whenever you get a chance to.'

'Don't worry, I'll have a chance to talk to you every day. Either that or hanging out with my grandma's cat.'

I laughed and rubbed his arm. 'I'm sure it won't be that bad.'

We sat in silence for a moment. I felt so safe with him, I swear I could spend the whole night on that balcony, just sleeping in his arms.

'You're tired, huh?' he asked and looked down at me.

'Yeah' I admitted. 'But I don't want you to go yet.'

'I don't wanna go either…'

Finally, my common sense came back and I lifted my head up, pulling away from him. His arms slid down my back and ended up on my waist. I guess all he wanted to hold me as long as he could.

'You should go' I said and rubbed my eyes. 'If your flight is at 8 and you need to leave the house at 6… You need to wake up at 5. That's very early.'

'Actually, I should wake up at 4.'

'What?'

'My mom checks everything at least three times before we leave. That's why she needs me out of bed by 4, so that she can just run through the house like a tornado without me getting in her way.'

I giggled. 'Well, good thing she's careful…' I said and realized something. My eyes widened. 'You have to wake up at 4…. And it's like 3 now… You need to go to sleep right now, Chad. Otherwise you won't be able to wake up on time and you'll be dead tomorrow.'

'Oh, don't worry about it. I can sleep on the plane' he said and smiled. I knew he just wanted to spend as much time with me as he could, but I had to knock some sense into him.

'Go' I told him and got up. 'I don't want your mom to be mad at you.'

'Alright' He sighed and got up too. He stood in front of me and looked into my eyes.

'I'll miss you too' I said before he even opened his mouth. 'And you'll call me every day, right?'

He smiled. 'I promise.'

'Good. Now bye' I said and kissed him once again. I let him deepen the kiss, but I couldn't have him stay up there for another 15 minutes. I pulled away. 'Call me when you arrive.'

'I will' he promised. 'Bye, Tay.'

'Bye, Chad.'

He kissed my forehead and I watched him go back to his balcony. When he climbed off the tree, he turned to me. I blew him a kiss and he smiled. I went back into my bedroom, lied down on my bed and fell asleep right away.

Taylor M.


	22. Chapter 22

**So yeah, sorry it's late. I'm a mess, I know. I should really get it together, but everything is just against me these last days. I had the Christmas break and I was all like "oh I will write so much", but I was wrong. I had to visit every single family member there was, then two days ago I let my big mouth run and got my computer taken away (well done) and then I visited my grandma... I finished this chapter in a day, which should already tell you so much... It might be chaotic (just like the rest haha) but as my excuse I'll use the fact that I haven't slept all night because I'm sick and I woke up at 7 to catch the High School Musical marathon and it gave me nothing but a headache (I go bipolar when I'm sick haha) and then I spent the rest of the day on this. It's like 10 minutes to midnight right now, so yeah Happy New Year to everyone! I hope all your wishes come true! And my New Years Resolution is to get my shit together and stop being a little girl. Love you!**

**and P.S.: I'M NOT DONE WITH THE STORY YET GUYS SO CALM DOWN hahahha I'll tell you don't worry, it won't be long though... or it will who knows.**

**Well bye for now, I have a countdown to attend! Love you all! :) Don't forget to review! :P  
><strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>It seemed to be an endless summer. Not that I was complaining, of course, it's just that all my friends went somewhere and I was stuck at home. My parents decided not to go anywhere that summer, simply because they saved up money for plane tickets to New York for Tony and themselves. All I could do was try to enjoy all the fun I was having at home; meaning listening to Destiny complain how hard it is being pregnant. On the other hand, I gained a lot of free time so I could catch up on the book I left unread a few weeks before.<p>

I managed to sneak out of the living room, before Destiny got another one of her mood-swing-attacks, and went straight to my room. I closed the door exactly when she screamed "why" after eating half of my birthday cake. None of us blamed her for it, but she still wasn't quite used to eating in such big amounts. Plus, she was emotional about everything, whether it was food, her weight or the weather outside.

I looked around my room, trying to locate my book, however I was interrupted by and incoming call on Skype. I sat on my bed and looked at the screen of my laptop. Chad was calling me. I smiled, curled my legs up and answered it.

'Hello?'

'Hey Taylor' he said. 'Happy birthday!'

_He remembered. _

I giggled. 'Awww, thanks a lot!'

'How's your day been so far?' he asked, but I couldn't hear him too well. It was as if the wind was blowing or something.

'It was good… You know, just spending some quality time with my family… Hey, what's that sound? I can barely hear you.'

'Oh, that's just the wind.'

'The wind? Don't you have a roof at home?' I asked jokingly. He laughed.

'No, I'm on the beach. Look.' He turned his camera on and turned it around so that I could see he was on the beach. 'Plus, I'm on my phone, so the sound won't be any better.'

'Oh, that's awesome. And what are you doing on the beach?'

'Oh, I'm here with my cousin… and then his girlfriend showed up and they sort of ditched me' he said and pouted, which made me laugh.

'No way, did they really?'

'Well, they are playing in the water, running around and splashing each other… I'd join them, but I don't wanna get my hair wet' he joked and ran his hand over his hair. I laughed once again.

'Well, of course. That would completely ruin it. I don't even think we could go on after such tragedy' I said jokingly. Chad smiled.

'We both know you'd hate that' he said and smirked. I rolled my eyes and turned my camera on, just so he could see me shake my head. Chad chuckled. 'Oh hey there! Nice T-shirt.'

I looked down, saw that I was wearing Destiny's old Superman logo T-shirt and giggled.

'Thanks. I stole it from my sister.'

'Good choice. I love those.'

'Aren't they awesome? She also had a Batman one, but I think she lost it or something.'

'Don't worry, I could always let you wear mine' he said and smirked at me. I smiled and ignored his comment.

'Anyways, how's it goin'? Are you having fun in New York?'

'Yeah, I guess… For instance, yesterday I taught my grandma's cat how to fetch. That was an interesting experience.'

I laughed. 'No way.'

'I'm serious, me and Oscar are really hitting it off' he said jokingly.

'Awww, seems like you're having too much fun' I joked and we both laughed. 'At least you spend time with your cousin…Nothing is really happening here. Everyone left. It's just me.'

He smirked. 'I don't need anyone else.'

'Right' I said. I tried hiding that I blushed by looking down. 'But it's still really boring here.'

'Well, I'd rather be there with you than be here… My mom is being nuts, her and dad are freaking out about the baby, scarin' me that it can come any second…'

'Is that bad?'

'No, that would actually be great. Because the faster the baby comes, the sooner we will be back home. But until that happens, I have to spend time with my grandma… You know, today I went with her to the grocery store, to help her carry everything back to her house, when we met her friends from church. Guess what, she introduced me to them and started telling them all about my basketball achievements… We stood there for like 40 minutes!'

I laughed. 'Awwww, she's so proud of you Chad! You can't blame her.'

'I know, I know… She really is. And that's awesome, I guess. But I had to stand there for 40 minutes! And one of them called me cute.'

'Oh Chad' I said and continued laughing at him.

Chad and I talked almost every day. We gave each other updates about everything that was going on, we talked about the movies we were gonna watch once he finally came back and all the things we would do, but mainly about how much we'd love to finally spend time together.

Gaby came back around the last week of June, so I wasn't all alone anymore. We hung out at the park, usually just talking about life and our plans. We could forget about everyday life for a moment and just imagine what our lives would be like in the future. Honestly, neither of us was sure what they wanted to do in future, but we both agreed whatever we chose, we'd be there for each other.

We spent the afternoons in the park, but we both couldn't be there past 5pm, because our moms worried about us possibly getting kidnaped and murdered. I was home on time, meaning 4.30, but my parents were not there. I took my jacket off and walked into the living room, just to find Destiny on the couch with a jar of pickles.

'Hey' I said.

'Hey' she replied, not taking her eyes off the TV.

'You alright?'

She looked at me. 'Of course I am, what did you think? I choose to eat pickles on the couch, and I become gross to everyone all of the sudden!'

'You're not gross' I said and sat next to her. 'Plus, I grew up with Tony, so it's really hard to disgust me.'

'True' she agreed. 'Want a pickle?'

'Nah, I'm fine. So, how was your day?'

'I saw Jerome…' she said and looked down.

'And? What did he say?' I asked. My tone was filled with contempt only because I hated that dude for hurting my sister.

'He… apologized to me.'

'Did he really?'

'Yeah… He apologized for being a jerk and for questioning my faith…'

'Wait, so he basically now believes that he's the father of the baby?'

'Yeah…'

'What did you tell him?'

'I forgave him… and we made up.'

I groaned and leaned my head back. Destiny sighed and looked at me.

'Don't be like that...' she said quietly. I turned my head towards her.

'That's not gonna end good. I mean, you said so yourself-'

'I know!' she cut me off. 'But I need him. I can't do this all by myself.'

'Did he say he'd help you?'

'He said he'd try… But I gotta stay here, because he can't afford an apartment… and neither can I.'

I lifted my head up and looked down. 'Do you trust him?'

'I don't really have a choice, do I? Besides, it can't get any worse, so it can only get better, right?'

I looked at her and smiled. 'Yeah. Now give me a pickle, I need to calm down.'

'Sure.' She laughed and handed me the jar. 'By the way, they delivered a package here today. Said it was for you. I left it on the counter in the kitchen.'

'Good!' I said, grabbed a pickle and ran to the kitchen. I found the box on the counter, picked it up and walked back to the living room.

'What is it?' Des asked. I swallowed the last piece of the pickle.

'It's a present.'

'Oh Tay, you shouldn't have' my sister said jokingly. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the staircase.

'Not for you. It's for a friend.'

'For who?'

'Never mind.'

'What is it?'

'It's a secret.'

'Do mom and dad know you got something online?'

'Yup. I got their permission.'

I walked into my room and put the box on my bed. I found my scissors, cut the tape and opened it. I smiled when I saw a blue hoodie neatly folded at the bottom. I took it out to get a better look at it. It was a blue, Captain America themed hoodie. I got it as a late birthday present for Chad. Never mind that his birthday was maybe a month before, because I didn't know what to get him. However, while surfing the internet I came across it and I literally fell in love with it. I knew Chad would love it too, so I decided to order it. I picked that one specifically, because it was dark blue and had just the logo on it, while the others resembled Captain's outfit. I figured that, in case he didn't like it, it'd just keep it for myself.

I folded it nicely and put it back in the box. I ran my hand over the soft material and closed the box when I heard my computer buzzing. I pulled it closer to myself and saw that Chad was calling me. It surprised me, because we were supposed to talk in the evening, but I answered anyway.

'Hey!' I greeted.

'Hey Taylor. How was your day?'

He turned his camera on and I saw his face; his hair tied up, a hood over his head, earphones in his ears and a white wall behind him.

'It was great' I said and smiled, thinking about the present. 'How was yours?'

'It was… exciting' he whispered. I raised my eyebrows.

'Why are you whispering?'

'I gotta, because I'm at the hospital' he explained. My eyes widened.

'Hospital? Why? What happened? Are you okay?' I asked, but he just smiled.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry. I wanna show you something… well, actually someone. Look.' He stood up, turned the camera around and I saw a huge window. Behind that window there was a big room which was filled with… those hospital baby cribs. Chad walked up to the window, because I saw the glass approaching.

'See the first on the left, second row?' he asked. My took a closer look at my computer screen and found the right infant.

'Yeah, I do' I answered and smiled.

'Well, that's my little bro… Charles Ethan Danforth.'

'Are you kidding me? Already? Well, congrats Chad!'

'Thanks' he said and pointed the camera back at himself. 'It happened so fast… But we are all happy. My parents are freaking out, so is my grandma… He's real cute, I wish you could see him.'

'Well, tell me what he looks like then.'

Chad chuckled. 'Like a baby… Oh, but he's totally going to have the 'fro too.'

'Good' I said and laughed. 'Then I'm sure he's adorable. Does that mean you're coming back soon?'

'I don't know' he said and rubbed his forehead. 'I'll see, Tay. But don't worry, you'll be the first one to know.'

'I better be' I added and we both laughed.

* * *

><p>'Tony, have you packed your documents?' my mother asked as she ran into the kitchen. I looked at her.<p>

'Tony's not here' I told her, which made her sigh.

'Have you seen him, Tay? We are leaving in 10 minutes and there is no sign of him in the whole house.'

'Didn't you send him outside?' Destiny asked and put a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth. Mom nodded her head.

'Yes, but that was over 15 minutes ago. What is he doing there for so long? I only told him to put his suitcase in the trunk.'

'Did you find him?' our father asked when he came into the kitchen. Mom shook her head.

'No, he's not here.'

Suddenly, the back door opened and Tony came inside.

'Where were you?' Mom asked. He shrugged and took the spoon away from Destiny.

'In the garage… But then I decided to shoot some hoops with Chad.'

My eyes widened.

'Chad?' my dad asked.

'Yeah, Danforth's back home' Tony explained and put the spoon in his mouth.

'IS HE?' I suddenly asked. My family members gave me weird looks.

'Yeah… Why do you care anyways?' Tony asked me. I shook my head and looked down.

'I don't… Just asking.'

'Well, you should be getting ready instead of fooling around!' Mom said seriously.

'I'm packed already!' Tony defended himself. 'Mom, I've been packed for a week now.'

'Come on Deb' Dad said and put his arm around Mom. 'He's leaving for good. Today is his last day as a kid; tomorrow he will be a grown up. Let him play with Chad for the last time.'

My mother looked from Dad to Tony and finally gave up.

'Alright, alright. Just make sure you're in front of the house in 15 minutes. I don't want to be running around the whole neighborhood, looking for you.'

'Thanks Mom, you're the best' Tony said, kissed Mom's cheek and ran out of the house.

'If he forgets anything, I will blame it on you' Mom told Dad and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the three of us there.

'Is it weird that I won't miss him?' Destiny asked.

'No, it isn't' Dad said and we all laughed. 'We are leaving you two together for a week. I hope you'll behave.'

'Don't worry Daddy, I'll keep an eye on Taylor' Destiny assured and winked at Dad.

'Oh Des, when I said that, I meant you' he said and he and I laughed.

'Oh, come on!' my sister frowned. 'I'm pregnant! What the hell can I do?'

'I don't know, baby. But you never fail to surprise me' Dad said, winked at me and left.

I wondered whether it was a good time to go outside and see Chad, but I remembered he was there with Tony. I wasn't actually ready yet tell my brother that I was dating his best friend, however I wanted to tell him before he left. I didn't like the thought of him finding out from gossips or whatever. I don't even know why I was so scared to tell him. It's not like he'd do anything. And he knew Chad; he knew he was a good guy. If I only I knew how to tell him…

'What's up with you, aren't you going out today?' Destiny asked me. I looked up at her.

'Umm, no… not really… At least I'm not planning on going out.'

'Alright. Look, I don't care, just make sure you're home… Today.'

With that she got up and left the kitchen, leaving me all alone with my thoughts. I still debated with myself whether to go and tell Tony now, or leave it and have him find out from some big mouthed gossip girl. I wasn't sure what to do, but I decided to go outside and greet Chad.

I found the guys playing in our back yard. I smiled when I saw Chad. His hair seemed to be shorter, but the rest remained exactly how it used to be over a month ago. I cleared my throat.

'Hey guys' I said. Chad instantly turned his head to me and smiled.

'Hey Tay, good to see yo-' he started saying, but he got cut off by the ball hitting his head.

'Shit, man. Are you okay?' Tony asked when he walked up to Chad. 'I didn't mean to hit you.'

'Yeah, I'm fine' Chad said rubbing his head. I giggled and walked up to them.

'Are you sure?' I asked and looked into his eyes. He grinned and stared at me.

'Now I am.'

Tony looked at us and laughed.

'Oh man, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were too busy looking at Taylor. Come on, let's play.'

Tony started dribbling his ball, but Chad wasn't taking his eyes off me. My brother picked the ball up and took a better look at us.

'Chad? What's going on?' he asked. From his tone I could tell he was confused and upset, both at the same time. Chad snapped out of it and looked at him.

'Nothing. I just… But now I'm… I'm fine, let's play' he replied and was about to run for the ball, but I stopped him.

'Wait.'

'What?'

I looked at Tony. 'I need to tell you something.'

'Tell me what?' my brother asked.

'No, come on, Taylor. Don't' Chad tried to stop me, but I grabbed Tony's arm and dragged him a bit to the side. Chad just shook his head at me.

'What's wrong?' Tony asked.

'Umm, well… I wasn't going to tell you yet… But since you're leaving… And I want you to hear this from me, not from someone else… Tony, you see… Chad and I… we are…'

'Yeaaaah?'

'We're… We're dating' I literally spit out. Tony raised his eyebrows.

'You're kidding, right?'

'No, not really…'

'Damn' Tony said and scratched his head. 'Why Danforth, though? Why him? Why not anyone else?'

I shrugged and smiled at Chad, who had a scared impression on his face.

'Come on, Taylor! That dude's a sissy!' Tony whined.

'Wow, man. Thanks' Chad said. I laughed and walked back to him.

'But really' Tony continued. 'Out of all the guys at school, you choose him?' he asked and pointed at my boyfriend.

'Yeah, it's not like I'm here or anything' Chad said and looked down.

'Sorry bro, it's just that my sister deserves better' Tony said and smiled.

'I know she does' Chad smiled at me.

'See? Everything is fine and we thought Tony would freak out' I said and they both laughed.

'Danforth, we're bros and stuff, but if you do anything-' Tony started, but Chad cut him off.

'Don't worry, I won't' he assured. My brother smiled.

'Good' he said and handed Chad his basketball. 'Now excuse me, ladies, but I have a college to get to.'

He smiled at us and headed to the front yard. I smiled and looked up at Chad.

'See? That wasn't so bad.'

He looked down at me and smiled. He dropped the ball and wrapped his arms around me. I grinned and returned the hug.

Saying bye to my big brother was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be. I didn't think I was that much attached to him, but our final hug was way longer than I ever imagined. I mean, he'd come back home for holiday and probably summer also, but this goodbye had its symbolic value. He wasn't going to live at home, with us anymore. I wasn't going to see him every morning, eating my cereal out. We wouldn't have our little arguments on the weekends. We wouldn't be fighting over the TV anymore. He wouldn't call me a nerd as often as he used to. He wouldn't be there to stand up for me when I needed it. Things would change.

When my parents and brother left, Destiny immediately went back into the house. I swear I saw her tear up a little, but when I asked her about it later, she blamed it on the pregnancy mood swings.

Chad and I, however, stayed in front of my house. We sat on the porch stairs and started at the empty street.

'How come you didn't tell me you were coming back home?' I asked. He smiled and faced me.

'I wanted to surprise you.'

I smiled. 'Well, you sure did. Are your parents back too?'

'Nah, they had to stay. Charlie is a bit too small to travel, so they have to wait for another week or so. They just packed me and put me on the plane. I came here in the morning.'

'So who are staying with?'

'Nobody at the moment. My mom's sister said she'd look after me… oh, and my parents said they asked your parents to look after me as well, but since they were going to New York, your sister is in charge.'

'Well, she's an emotional wreck right now… I don't even think she should be looking out for me. Actually, she could use someone to look after her.' Chad and I laughed. 'I'm surprised your parents trust her.'

'Well, she did use to babysit me when I was small.'

'Yeah, only because you lived next door. Otherwise, she'd never do that. She was always too busy.'

'I know, I remember. But it was fun, she let me do everything.'

'Yeah, because of her lack of responsibility… Oh God, and my parents left me with her.'

Chad laughed. 'Well, you're big now.'

'True. It won't be that bad.'

There was a long moment of silence. We were both looking at the street.

'Hey' Chad finally spoke. 'Wanna take a walk, or something?'

'Ummm… Yeah, sure' I said and smiled.

'Awesome. I'll just go home and grab something.'

'Okay, I'll meet you at the mailbox.'

He got up and headed towards the fence. In the meantime, I realized I had a present for him. I jumped up and ran into the house, up the stairs and straight into my room. I found the wrapped up hoodie and ran downstairs.

'I'm going out, see ya later!' I called to Destiny. She got up from the couch and ran after me.

'Wait! Where are you going?' she asked. I stopped at the door and looked at her.

'Out.'

'With who?'

'Friend…zzz. Friends' I quickly corrected myself. Destiny crossed her arms.

'Riiiight… Well, have fun.'

'I will! Bye!' I ran outside, just to see Chad walking out of his house. I closed the gate to my yard and looked at him.

'What's that?' I pointed at what he had hanging over his shoulder. He smiled.

'Oh, it's a blanket.'

'Why do you have a blanket?'

'You'll see' he said and smiled mysteriously. 'What you got there?'

'Oh, that?' I looked at the package. 'That's for you.'

'For me?'

'Yeah.' I handed him the present. 'It's a late birthday gift. Because back then I didn't know what to get you. But I found it now.'

'Umm, I don't know what to say' he said shyly and took it from me. 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome.'

He slowly began to unwrap the package and, when he was finally done, he gasped.

'No way!' he said and looked at me. I laughed.

'I don't even know what you're talking about.'

'Come on!' he said happily and looked at the hoodie. 'Captain America! Damn, it's awesome! Thanks Tay, really.'

'No problem. I knew you'd like it.'

'You were right! Wait, let me put it on.'

I held the blanket for him, while he slid the hoodie on. It looked amazing on him… just like anything else.

'You look great' I told him. He smiled and took the blanket from me.

'Thanks, Tay.'

I was so distracted by our conversation, that I didn't even notice we were near the beach. I realized it only when Chad stopped to take his shoes off. I did the same and we walked towards the water to fine a good place to sit. There weren't that many people there, which was surprising because it was a warm, summer day.

We finally found the perfect spot, away from the people who were too lazy to walk and decided to sit near the "entrance". Chad put the blanket on the sand and we sat on it. It turned out he also had a towel with him, which was wrapped up in the blanket.

'It's hot here' he said and took the hoodie off, leaving his T-shirt on.

'Well, we are on the beach' I pointed out.

'Wow Taylor, thank God you're here, because I'd be completely lost' he said sarcastically and smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and lightly hit him on the arm.

'Shut up.'

He laughed and looked at the sea.

'I wonder if the water is warm…'

'Then go and check' I suggested. He got up and walked towards the water.

'Guess what, it is!' he called and walked back to me. Suddenly, he took his T-shirt off. That wouldn't surprise me, if he didn't start unzipping his pants.

'What are you doing?' I asked.

'Taking my pants off' he explained.

'I can see that, but why?'

'I'm gonna go swim.'

I raised my eye brows. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah. I mean, I have a towel and stuff… But I could have also taken my swimming trunks.'

'Wait, so how are you going to swim?'

'I still have my boxers.'

He took his pants off and threw them on the blanket. There he was, standing in nothing but his boxer shorts, in the middle of the beach, looking at me.

'You are insane' I told him, but he laughed.

'I'll be right back' he said and walked towards the water. I couldn't take my eyes off him, partly because of what he was about to do and also because I enjoyed seeing him… like that. I got a chance to innocently admire his body. He stopped walking when the water reached his hips and turned to me.

'Come here!' he called.

'No way!' I answered. I heard him laugh and then he completely submerged in the sea, just to stand up after a second. His hair was completely wet, but he just shook his head from left to right to get rid of the excess of water.

'And? How is it?' I yelled to him. Chad wiped his eyes and looked at me.

'It's great!' he answered.

After a moment he got out of the water and walked back to our blanket.

'Yeah?' I asked and looked up at him.

'Come on, get up. You're coming with me.'

'I can't… ummm… I don't have my swimming stuff.'

'Well, neither do I.'

'Yeah, but I can't just take my clothes off and run around in my underwear, now can I?'

Chad smirked. 'I wouldn't know.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Forget it, I'm not going there.'

'Come on! I haven't seen you for like three weeks! I want us to do something fun together!'

'But do we have to swim?'

'What else are you gonna do here? Get tan?'

I looked up at him and realized he had a point.

'But how will I swim? Because you have your boxers, I on the other hand-'

'Keep your T-shirt on. It's long.'

_Chad: 2 –Taylor: 0._

'Alright' I said and he helped me up. 'But if the water is cold-'

'It's not' he said and smiled at me. I took my shorts off and looked at the sea. Was that a good moment to tell him I was terrified of swimming? Yeah, it probably was. But for some reason I didn't tell him then.

'Come on.' He took my hand and lead me to the water. Finally, when I felt the tips of my toes getting wet, I stopped.

'I can't do this.'

Chad faced me. 'What's wrong?'

'Um, okay, so you might not know… but, I'm, sorta… scared of swimming. Like horrified.'

'How come?'

'Umm, well… When I was three, Tony pushed me into the pool… Since then. It's trauma.'

Chad stared at me until he finally remembered something.

'Oh yeah!' he said and hit his forehead with his hand. 'I know about this! That's why every time I had a pool birthday party, you'd just sit on the side?'

'Yeah, exactly' I said and looked down.

'Don't worry.' Smiled and continued leading me into the water. I stopped him.

'What are you doing? Didn't you hear me?'

'I did. But there's nothing to be scared of, Tay. I'm with you, nothing will happen. I promise. You just have to trust me.'

I looked at him and then back at the sea. I wasn't sure what to say, because I was panicking. But I trusted him for some reason.

'Alright' I said.

'Awesome. Look, do you see that little platform over there?'

I looked to where he was pointing and spotted the platform.

'Yeah.'

'We're gonna go over there. We won't swim, we'll just walk, okay? It's not that deep there.'

'Chad…' I whined.

'Be strong. Let's go.'

He walked in front of me and backwards, so that he was facing me. I had at least 5 panic attacks on the length of 100ft, however I made it somehow. By that I mean I walked like a 1/4 of it, the rest I travelled on Chad's back. When we finally reached the platform, I got off his back and sat on it. He sat next to me and we looked at the beach.

'Wow, we're far away' I said.

'Yeah, a bit… But you made it. I'm proud of you' he admitted and leaned back. I smiled and looked down at my soaking wet T-shirt.

'People probably think I'm crazy for swimming in this.'

'I think you look great' he said. I looked at him and he smiled at me.

'Well, I'd have to be nuts to swim in my underwear only.'

'I guess I'm nuts then' Chad said and sat up.

'I don't mean that, you look go.. I mean, it's easier for guys. All you have is shorts.'

'True. Hey, good thing I wore some decent boxers today' he pointed out and we both looked down at his dark gray boxer shorts.

'Do you actually have embarrassing undies?' I asked.

'Yeah. I mean, it could have been one of those days when I decided to wear my Flash boxers… And I was even going to, but then I realized I would be flying and in case they wanted to search me… yeah, that would be awkward.'

I laughed. 'Oh come on, Flash? They must be awesome.'

'They are. Maybe, if you're lucky, you will get a chance to see them' he added with a smirk.

I gave him an annoyed look and pushed him back into the water. He laughed and wiped his eyes.

'Come on! I didn't even mean it like that!' he defended himself.

'Yeah, yeah! Of course not!' I said sarcastically and started kicking the water so that he'd get splashed. He put his arms up to protect his face from the water and walked up to me. He grabbed my legs and held them so I couldn't move them.

'I'm sorry, Tay' he said and looked up at me.

'Unacceptable' I said and looked away from him. Chad pouted and rested his chin on my knee.

'I'm sorry' he said and gave me those sad, puppy eyes. 'It was just a joke.'

'Okay, okay' I gave up and ran my hand through his wet hair. 'Just… behave.'

'Of course. Now, can I get a kiss?' he asked and smiled like an angel. I giggled.

'Well, if you really wanted it, you'd come and get it yourself.'

He smirked, put his hands on the left and on the right of my lap and pulled himself up. We were face to face; the upper half of his body above the surface of the water, the bottom one below it. I smiled, put my hand of his cheek and gently pulled him towards me. He leaned in and kissed me.

Every kiss with that guy felt as if it was a first one. Not just the kiss, but also the feeling that came with it was unforgettable. Plus, I haven't kissed him for three weeks, so maybe that's why.

I pulled away to get some air. Chad took a deep breath, smiled like an idiot and fell back into the water. I laughed at him.

'You're weird' I said once he laid on his back on the surface of the water and continued smiling.

'You make me' he replied.

After another ten minutes of hanging out on the platform, we decided to go back to our blanket. We sat down and put his towel around me.

'Thanks' I said and smiled at him.

'No problem. I'm no expert, but I think you should take the T-shirt off. I don't want you to get sick… It will be my fault and I'll feel bad. And you'll be sick.'

'You're right' I said, put the towel down and I was about to take my wet T-shirt off, when I realized Chad was staring at me. I gave him a funny look and he snapped out of it.

'Oh yeah, sorry… I'm not looking' he said and closed his eyes and then covered them with his hands. I laughed.

'I don't care, you can look… Just don't stare.'

I took my T-shirt off, leaving my bra on and wrapped the towel around my shoulders. Chad took his hands away.

'Can I look now?' he asked. I giggled.

'Yeah, you can.'

He opened his eyes and smiled at me. 'Isn't it better like that?'

'Yeah, a lot. Aren't you cold?'

'No. Unlike you, I can just dry on the sun' he explained and lied down on the blanket. I looked at him and lied down also.

'This is nice' I said and closed my eyes.

'Isn't it?'

We lied there in silence. All I could hear was the sound of waves hitting the nearby cliffs and the seagulls, probably fighting over some food found on the beach. The warm breeze was blowing from time to time, drying my legs. It was perfect.

'I missed you' Chad said quietly. I turned my head to him and opened my eyes, just to see he was already looking at me. I smiled.

'I missed you too.'

He rolled to his side and I did the same. We were lying face to face, just looking at each other.

'Skype just wasn't the same, huh?' he asked. I shook my head.

'Nope. This is different… and way better. I'm glad you're back.'

'Me too… Thanks for giving me a chance, Taylor.'

'What do you mean?'

'You know… Agreeing to this… to us.'

I smiled and poked his nose. 'Thanks for telling me how you feel.'

He smiled. 'I'm really happy I did.'

I rolled to my back and closed my eyes.

'I just realized that my T-shirt is super wet and I have nothing else to wear instead.'

'But I do' Chad said and sat up. I looked at him.

'Like what?'

'How are you feeling about wearing the awesome hoodie you got me?'

I sat up. 'But it was meant to be for you.'

'Yeah, but it will mean even more if you're the first one to wear it' he said and smiled. I thought about it.

'I have no other choice, so sure.'

He reached for the hoodie, handed it to me and I put it on.

'Actually, I have something for you' Chad said and reached to the pocket of his pants. I watched him curiously, when he pulled out a little box. 'Here.' He handed it to me. I took it from him and looked at it.

'What is it?' I asked, but he just nodded his head to signal I should open it and see for myself. Since the hoodie was clearly too big for me, I had to roll my sleeves up to properly open the box. When I did, I saw a silver necklace. I gently took it out of the box and saw that there was a tiny key hanging on it. I looked at Chad.

'I was walking down the street and I saw it and it reminded me of you… I thought it was a good birthday present and also a good idea for a necklace in general, because of the key… You know, like in the poem I wrote that you-'

'I had a key to your heart' I cut him off, quoting the poem. He smiled.

'Yeah, exactly.'

I looked at the necklace and realized it must have been an expensive gift.

'Look Chad, this is beautiful, it really is… But I can't accept this' I told him. You should have seen the look on his face; it was as if I just broke his heart.

'But… Why?'

'You probably paid a lot for it and you shouldn't have, really-'

'Taylor, listen' he said and lifted my chin up. 'It's not a onetime gift-thing; this is forever. I meant for it to be forever. It's sort of a promise… I know it might be too soon for that, but… I feel like what we have is real. Everything we do together, whether it's just talking, or kissing or even arguing a little… It feels so right. Like it's meant to be. And I want it to last.'

I was speechless; I really didn't know what to tell him. I guess I was just so touched by what he said. I took a deep breath and smiled.

'Will you put it on for me?' I asked. He smiled and took the necklace from me. I lifted my hair up and he put the necklace on my neck. I looked at it and smiled.

'It's beautiful.'

'I just noticed' he said and kissed my cheek.

While I was admiring my new charm, Chad's buff chest disappeared under his T-shirt. He put his pants on and looked at the horizon.

'Hey look, the sun's going to set soon. Wanna stay for that?' he asked. I looked at him.

'Can we?'

'Of course. Come here, Tay.'

He crossed his legs and I sat in between them. Then he put his arms around me and I rested my head on his chest.

'You know what's unfair?' I asked. He looked down at me.

'What?'

'That I ended up wearing both of our presents' I said jokingly and Chad chuckled.

'Oh, that's only because everything looks better on you' he replied and kissed the top of my head. I giggled.

'Said the hottest guy at East High.'

'You think so too?' he asked and smirked.

'Well, unlike all the other girls, I actually fell for your personality… the looks are just a bonus.'

Chad laughed. 'Right.'

'What are we gonna do when we get back to school in September?' I asked.

'I don't know. But I know I want to let everyone know you're taken' he replied and smiled at me.

'How are you gonna do that? Will you take a huge stamp and stamp me with it?' I asked jokingly, which made him laugh.

'I might, depends how annoying the dudes get.'

'I should actually do that to you. You know, take a stamp, dip it in red paint and put a huge "TAKEN" sign on your forehead. Do you think that would keep the cheerleaders away?'

'Well, if we suppose they all could read… It would not.'

I laughed and felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was a message from Gaby.

_Where are you?_

_We're at the beach _I replied.

'Who is it?' Chad asked. I showed him the phone.

'It's just Gabriella.'

The phone buzzed again.

_We?_

I was about to write "Chad and I", but Danforth took my phone away.

'Hey!' I whined.

'Just send her a picture… I have an idea, make a scared face' he suggested. I didn't have energy to ask why, so I did as he told me. He snapped the picture and showed me the phone. My scared face was in the front, while you could only see Chad's forehead and eyes creeping behind my back. I laughed.

'Well, hopefully she'll get it's a joke and won't call for help' I said as I sent the picture to Gaby. Chad chuckled.

'Oh come on, we're funny!'

The phone buzzed again.

_Troy's in town too. We should double date ;)_

I showed Chad the message. He looked down at me.

'Are we ready for that? I mean, are we ready to sit and watch those two ignoring everyone but each other and making out and stuff?'

'Well, we'll never know if we don't check.'

_Totally. I'll call you tomorrow :* _I typed and pressed 'send'.

I put my phone back into my pocket and we enjoyed the sunset in silence.

Taylor M.


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, so let me start off my saying there is no excuse for this chapter being two months late. You guys have every right to hate me right now. Also, I won't be shocked if no one comes back to read this. I had a lot of stuff going on, but, again, no excuse is going to make it up. Thanks to some one, I got myself together and finished this chapter. (I kept my promise, you need to keep yours ;))  
>I have really mixed feelings about it, because it was supposed to be different, but I hope you guys like it (even though you hate me xD). Enjoy reading it and I'm not gonna make any promises I can't keep, so no idea when the next one will be out. Until then, I'm leaving you with this and feel free to hate me. Bye! :)<strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>Luckily, Destiny didn't ask many questions once I returned home after my date with Chad. She only wanted to know why my hair was wet and the answer "I was on the beach" seemed to satisfy her. When it came to my personal stuff, my sister wasn't nosy. Quite opposite actually, she couldn't care less. However, I could tell she knew I had a secret (in a form of Chad) and she wanted to get it out of me. For the first time Destiny was going to be nosy.<p>

I woke up around 10am, took a shower, got dressed and walked downstairs to get some breakfast. I found my big sis sitting in the kitchen, in her bathrobe, reading a newspaper and finishing her last toast.

'Good morning' I greeted and headed straight to the refrigerator.

'Moring' Destiny replied putting the newspaper down. 'Someone's in a good mood.'

'Really?' I asked. I closed the fridge and looked at her. 'Who?'

'Well, out of the two of us, I'm the pregnant one. So obviously: _you_.'

I shrugged and sat at the table, in front of her. 'I don't know.'

'Hey, that's cute' she said pointing at my new necklace, the present from Chad. 'Where did you get it?'

'Oh, that? I got it as a birthday present.'

'From who?' she asked suspiciously.

'A friend.'

Destiny narrowed her eyes. '_A friend_, huh? You and that _friend_ seem to be having a lot of fun lately; you're always going out with _a friend_, hanging out with _a friend_…'

'Last time I checked that wasn't a crime' I replied.

'You mind telling me something about that _friend_?'

'Okay, first of all it's not _a friend_. It's just a friend. I have friends and I hang out with them.'

She gave me one last suspicious look before giving up. 'Alright, whatever. You don't wanna tell me? Fine. I don't have to know.'

I shook my head, picked up the newspaper and started looking for some interesting articles.

'Hey, you know what. I was taking the garbage out this morning' Destiny said.

'Awesome' I said sarcastically. My sister ignored me and continued talking.

'Since no one in this house cares about a clean environment for us to live in and no one has been taking the garbage out for like two weeks, this morning I had to drag this heavy ass bag of garbage all the way to the bin in front of the fence.'

'Wow, that's so interesting' I said sarcastically and turned the page.

'Wait till you hear this: I'm struggling like crazy to lift the bag up so I can put in inside the trash can, when someone runs up and helps me.'

'Who was it?' I asked, not taking my eyes off the paper.

'Fuzzy… I mean Chad. You know, the kid next door.'

When I heard Destiny say "Chad", my heart started pounding. I lifted my head up and looked at her.

'Crazy, huh?' she asked and smiled. I just nodded my head and lifted the newspaper so that she couldn't see my face.

'Nice kid' she continued. 'I thought that teenagers these days had no respect whatsoever. But Chad seems really nice. And then he even asked if there was anything else he could do to help me.'

'That's great' I said, still hiding behind the newspaper.

'Oh yeah, that reminds me… Are you guys friends or what? Because I remember how you always argued when you were little…'

'Yeah, we are… sort of…' I said quietly. Suddenly, Destiny grabbed the newspaper and pulled it out of my hands, revealing my face.

'There's something going on between you two, am I right?'

'Umm… I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Oh come on! I saw how you reacted when I brought his name up. Your eyes widened and you were all nervous, avoiding eye contact.'

I sighed. 'You knew, huh?'

'Of course I did. Don't you know I get paid for reading people's facial expression? Besides, you can't lie to me. I can tell when you like someone.'

'Okay, I like him. Can we go on with our lives now?' I asked. I couldn't hide the fact that I had feelings for Chad, however I wasn't going to tell her he was my boyfriend.

'No, wait. There's more. You've been hiding something, but that's not it' she said and stared at me. I leaned back in the chair and rolled my eyes.

'What, can you also read minds?' I asked sarcastically. Des shook her head.

'You like him and he likes you-'

'How do you know that?' I cut her off.

'Come on Taylor, everyone knows that. That boy was trying to get your attention ever since he moved next door. It was about time you realized it too.'

I rolled my eyes, while Destiny just continued her little investigation.

'Did he give you that necklace?' she asked. Our eyes met. 'It's alright, you don't have to answer that. That's obvious.'

I sighed and rested my head on the table. This conversation was really exhausting, even though Destiny was the only one talking. Suddenly, she clapped her hands.

'I know! You and Chad are dating!' she exclaimed happily. I lifted my head up and looked at her. 'Am I right?'

'Yeah, you-'

'I knew it!' she cut me off. 'Damn, can't help it, but I'm just so great at what I do.'

'Yeah, good for you Des' I said. I got up and walked up to the fridge once more. 'Did you really have to make up the whole story with Chad and your garbage struggle?'

'I didn't have to, because it happened.'

I turned my head to her. 'Really?'

'Yup' she replied and smiled at me. I opened the fridge, took out a yoghurt, closed the door and returned back to my seat.

'Did he say anything?'

'He asked if you were awake yet and I said that the last time I checked you were snoring like a freaking chainsaw.'

I gasped. 'Did you really tell him that?'

'Yeah' my sister laughed. 'But he got the joke, because he laughed and said to tell you to call him once you wake up. That's why I asked you about him. I knew he had some sort of a thing for you, but I'd never guess you'd feel the same way.'

'Me neither…' I admitted. 'But I got to spend a lot of time with him last school year… I got to know the other side of him.'

'When did it happen?'

'Last week of school… He told me how he felt and I realized I feel the same way' I said and smiled to myself.

'I'm happy for you, sis. I just can't believe you didn't tell me anything.'

'I couldn't. I don't want dad to find out' I said and opened the yoghurt.

Des gasped. 'You thought I'd tell him?!'

'Well… yeah.'

'Are you serious?' she asked. She seemed really offended. 'How could you even think that, we are sort on the same team here. I keep your secrets, you keep mine. Come on, that's our deal!'

'I know… But I'm scared of what Dad might say… You know, especially after the whole Derrick drama.'

'But doesn't he like love Chad?'

'Yeah, but he loves him as a player of his basketball team… Not as my boyfriend.'

'Hey, you never know. Maybe, just because it's Chad, he'll make an exception.'

'I don't know. All I know is that I'm not telling him yet' I said and got up. 'And you shouldn't either.'

'Your secret's safe with me.'

'Good.'

I grabbed my yoghurt and headed to my room. I closed the door, put the cup on the desk and picked up my phone. I was going to call Chad, but then I saw I had a missed call. It was Gaby. I dialed her number and sat at my desk.

'Hello?' she answered.

'Hey Gabs!

'Hey Tay!'

'You called, what's up?'

'I wanted to ask if you and Chad were still up for the double date thing.'

I was silent for a moment. I knew Chad was sort of skeptical about double dating with our best friends and I didn't want to answer before talking to him. However, I couldn't tell Gaby that Chad wasn't exactly looking forward to, as he put it, "watching her and Troy making out for the whole day".

'Tay, you there?' she asked. I snapped out of my thoughts.

'Yeah, I am.'

'So, is it a yes or a no?'

'I'm not sure' I said and got up. I walked to the balcony door and looked at the balcony right in front of mine.

'What do you mean? Didn't you talk to Chad?'

'I did… I just don't exactly remember what he said.' I opened the door and walked outside.

'You forgot what he said?' Gaby asked.

'Yeah, sorta' I said and picked up a little stone form the floor. 'You know, he talks a lot and stuff… I lost track of what he was he was saying.'

'Oh really?' she asked with a giggle. I tried my best to aim for Chad's window and threw the stone at it. Fortunately, I hit the target. Now I had to wait.

'Yeah, he didn't really give me a concrete answer. He didn't really say he would, but then again he didn't say he wouldn't.'

Finally, the curtains in Chad's room spread and I saw his face. I waved my hand at him to make him come outside. He gave me a confused look, but he did anyway.

'Tay, did you talk to Chad about it or not?' she asked seriously.

'Yeah, I did. I was like "Hey Chad, you know what? We should totally double date with Troy and Gaby!".'

Meanwhile, Chad was standing on his balcony, clueless of what was happening. But as soon as he heard what I had said, his eyes widened and he started shaking his head and mouthing "no's" and "don'ts". He waved his arms, signaling me that I should hang up immediately, but I just gave him _a look_ and looked away from him.

'And what did Chad say?' Gaby kept asking. I think she knew that I avoiding telling her the answer, but I was just dragging this whole thing because I wanted Chad to know what I was about to do. Clearly, he wasn't too excited about the idea, because he climbed onto my balcony and tried to take my phone away. I slapped his hand and managed to get away from him. I ran to the other side of the balcony, while he just sat on the bench and gave me an uneasy look.

'Well, when I think about it… I'm pretty sure he said he couldn't wait' I said and smiled when Chad rolled his eyes.

'I hope he did, because we're meeting up at the beach at 3pm. Can you make it?'

'Yeah, we'll make it.'

'Alright, see you there! Bye!'

'Bye Gaby' I said and hung up. I looked at Chad, who had a rather unsatisfied look on his face.

'So "Chad can't wait", huh?' he asked. I sighed and walked up to him.

'I'm sorry.' I sat next to him. 'They're our friends. They're dating… and we are too. We'd have to do this sooner or later.'

'Well, how about later, because I don't think I'm ready for a two-hour show of "Oh Gaby, oh Troy" and all that kissy-touchy stuff.'

I laughed. 'I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad.'

'Oh really?'

'Well… no' I admitted. 'But, as I said, they are our friends. Our best friends. And we have to spend time with them.'

'I guess…' Chad said, but I knew I didn't make him change his mind. I decided to try harder.

'Plus' I started. 'When they will be all over each other, we will have more time… just for us.'

Chad raised an eyebrow. 'Meaning what?'

'You know… stuff' I said with a smirk, but he wasn't exactly buying it.

'Yeah right' he scoffed. I sighed.

'Can't you just suffer a few hours on the beach with your friends, just for the sake of friendship?'

'Wait, beach?'

'Yeah, we're supposed to go to the beach.'

Chad smiled. 'Does that mean I'll get to see you in a bikini?'

'Yeah, I guess…'

'Then I'm in' he said and smirked. I just rolled my eyes.

'Doesn't take a lot to get you interested, does it?'

'Well, I'd say it does' he said and his eyes travelled up and down my body. I giggled and shifted a bit away from him.

'Meet me at the mailbox quarter to 3, okay?' I said and was about to get up, when he stopped me. 'What?'

'I think you're forgetting something' he said with a sly smile.

'And what's that?' I asked. Instead of answering, he just closed his eyes and pouted. I giggled.

'Right' I said, understating that I have forgotten to give him a "hello kiss". I quickly made that up for him. Chad opened his eyes and smiled.

'Now you can go.'

'Thank you' I said and went back to my room.

* * *

><p>I walked out of my house at 2:40, just to see Chad already waiting by my mailbox. I smiled and walked towards him.<p>

'Thought you'd be here before me, huh?' he asked when I stopped in front of him.

'No, I just happened to leave the house a bit earlier. Why are you here? We were supposed to meet in five minutes.'

'I don't like to keep the girl waiting' he said with a smirk and hung his tower over his shoulder. I smiled and started walking down the street. He followed me.

'I appreciate that' I told him.

'What you got there?' he asked once he caught up with me. I looked down at my bag.

'Nothing, just beach stuff.'

'Beach stuff?'

'Yup. Unlike you, I can't have my stuff hanging over my shoulder.'

He chuckled. 'Right. Hey, so how was your day?'

'It was fine. Oh, just for the record' I said and looked at him. 'My sister knows about us.'

'How come? Did you tell her or…?'

'I didn't have to, because _someone_ had to be a gentleman and help her' I said and gave him a look.

'Oh really, I wonder who that was' he said jokingly. 'I'm sorry, Tay. I just wanted to help her.'

'It's okay, I'm not mad' I replied with a smile. 'Actually I'm glad she knows. I don't have to sneak around the house anymore… Until my parents come back.'

'Yeah. But how did she figure it out?'

'She asked whether we had something going on and I lied and it was all downhill from there…' I explained and Chad laughed.

'She still reads minds, huh?'

'Nah, she reads faces' I corrected and we both laughed.

'My parents are coming back in three days' he told me.

'That's great. You excited?'

'Kinda… I mean, I want you to meet my little brother.'

'Ah, I can't wait' I said and smiled to myself. 'He must be adorable.'

'He is.'

'What does he look like?' I asked and looked up at Chad. He put his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

'I don't know… like a baby. He sort of looks like me… But eight times smaller.'

'What about the hair?'

'Also eight times smaller' he said with a silly smile and I laughed.

We were walking quite close to each other; our arms brushing against one another. And that was the perfect distance. We were not yet at the level of holding hands, despite our cheesy behavior on the beach the other day. I guess we just had our moments, but at that point our relationship was sort of an expanded friendship. With occasional kissing. When I think about it, we were weird. But cute. In our own way, of course.

When we got to the beach, we took our shoes off and started searching for Gabriella and Troy.

'I see them' Chad said and pointed to a couple sitting cuddled up on a blanket quite far away from us.

'I see. Let's go' I said and we started walking towards them. Suddenly Chad stopped. I stopped too and looked at him. 'What's wrong?'

'Are you sure about this? Because this is our last chance to make a run for it' he told me. He had an unsure look on his face, but I just laughed.

'Come on.' I grabbed his arm and dragged him towards our best friends. They realized we were approaching them and turned towards us.

'Hey guys' Troy said and got up.

'Hey man' Chad said and fist bumped him.

'Dude, did you watch the game last night?'

'Yeah, I caught the last quarter. It was crazy!'

It wasn't long before they drifted off in their conversation and almost completely forgot about us. I looked down at Gaby. We both giggled.

'What's up?' she asked after I sat next to her. I shrugged and put my bag next to me.

'Nothing really... Do you think they'll eventually get over the game and talk to us?'

'Seriously?' she asked and pretended to think about it.

'Nahhh' we both said and laughed. That caught Chad's attention.

'What are you guys laughing about?' he asked. We both calmed down and I looked up at him.

'Don't worry about it' I said and Gaby giggled. Chad shrugged.

'So, what are we gonna do?' Troy asked.

'Did you bring the ball?' Chad looked at him. Troy nodded.

'Yup, it's right there' he said and pointed at a volleyball on the ground, hiding under Troy's T-shirt and Gaby's jacket.

'Sweet. Then we're gonna play' Chad said enthusiastically and rubbed his hands. Gaby frowned and looked up at them.

'You guys play ball every day' she said, which indirectly meant they shouldn't do it.

'Yeah, but not volleyball' Troy said and picked the ball up. 'You guys wanna join?'

'I'm fine' I stated.

'Same' Gaby nodded.

'Hey man, let's play soccer with it' Chad suggested.

'Alright' Troy agreed. 'I'll go set up the goals.'

'Sure, I'll be right there.'

Troy walked away in search of the flattest surface possible for their soccer game, while Chad stayed with us. He took the towel off his shoulder and spread it on the ground.

'What are you doing?' I asked. He looked at me.

'Well, we have to sit on something…' he said, as if that was an obvious explanation for his actions. I shook my head and smiled.

'Silly, we don't have to sit on your towel. I have a blanket in my bag. Look' I said and opened my bag. He looked inside and smiled.

'Ohh, so that's what you needed this thing for. Now I get it' he said and took the blanket out. He unfolded it and put it on the ground.

'Isn't that better?' I asked. He replied with a chuckle.

'You guys sure you don't want to join us?' he questioned before pulling his T-shirt off.

'Positive' Gaby spoke for both of us, because she realized I was too busy starting at Chad to reply.

'Alright.' He flashed us one of his adorable smiles and ran towards Troy. I giggled at the way his afro jumped up and down when he ran.

'Cute' Gabriella summarized. I smiled dreamily.

'Isn't he?'

Gaby giggled. 'It's funny to see you like that.'

'I know. To be honest, I'm surprised by myself. I've never been… like that.'

'And you made fun of me' she said, making it sound as if she was offended but I knew she was just joking.

'I know… However, I am not completely sorry' I said and smiled.

'Oh really? And why is that?'

'Because nothing, _nothing_ will beat your goofiness when you're around Troy.'

Gaby giggled. 'True. But I can't help it; he's too cute.'

'Didn't you get used to it already?' I asked. My eyes were glued to Chad, who just kicked the ball high up in the air. Gaby smiled.

'Nope. I don't think I ever will.'

For a moment we sat in silence, just watching our boys play. _Our boys._ I smiled at that. It sounded nice. Even though I thought Gaby's goofiness was too much, I also found it cute. No doubt her and Troy were the perfect couple. That hurt me sometimes, especially just when they started dating. Don't get me wrong, I was really happy for her. I just felt sorry. For myself. I was convinced I'd never have anything near to what they had. That was until Chad popped into the picture. I got to know the other side of him; I learned that he wasn't the guy I thought he was. He wasn't a player, he wasn't a douchebag… He was a funny, loving guy who also happened to like me.

Now we were sitting on the beach, staring at those two great guys. And one of them was my boyfriend. A year before… hell, two months before I'd never even think that was possible. And now it was happening. I had a guy who liked me for who I was. I had a guy, around who I could just be myself. That was amazing. Even though I kept telling myself that was Chad and I had was already perfect, deep deep inside I hoped one day we'd be just like Troy and Gaby.

'How was your guys' date yesterday?' my best friend broke the silence. I looked at her.

'It was fun… We swam.'

'Swam? Taylor, you don't swim.'

'I know… But he got me to be in the water.'

Gaby laughed. 'How come?'

'I don't know. He's insane. First stripped down to his boxers and then he made me take off my shorts and swim in my T-shirt. You see, Mr. Smartass planned swimming but he forgot his trunks.'

'Wow' she said with a smirk. 'Way to go. You got to see the boxers?'

'Got to? More like "I had no other choice"…' I said and we both laughed.

'Still. Troy and I have been dating for a year now and I got to see his boxers just recently.'

'Well, I'm sure it was for a whole different reason' I smirked and Gaby blushed.

'True. We got a little carried away… Nothing really besides that.'

'So you guys haven't… _you know_…' I asked curiously. Right after that I bit my tongue. 'I'm sorry, that's personal-'

'No, it's okay' Gaby cut me off and smiled. 'And no, we haven't. I'm not ready yet.'

I nodded my head and we both looked at the guys. Suddenly I remembered something.

'Oh, he also gave me this' I said and pointed at my new necklace. Gaby looked at it and her eyes widened.

'Awwww, it' so cute. Why is it a key though?' she asked and touched it to get a better look at it.

'Remember the poem he wrote for me? Well, he said I had a key to his heart' I explained with a proud smile on my face.

'Awwwww' she squealed. 'That's too cute.'

'I know… so cheesy.'

'Oh Taylor!' Gaby laughed.

We stripped down to our bikinis and lied down. We started talking about the upcoming school year, while the guys continued playing soccer. Gaby, once again, brought up the topic of Chad and I "becoming official" to everyone at school. Well, that was obvious; it had to happen. So why did it scare me so much? I had no idea. There wasn't an specific reason, but I could find every little excuse to put it away. First of all I was afraid of what people might think of Chad. A cool guy like him dating a nerd? He'll be ruined forever. Then came all of his ex-girlfriends added to numerous cheerleaders, backed up by an army of many girls at school who were nuts about him. They would hate me, I had no doubt in that. What if they tried to make me suffer? Or try to hurt me? Or tried to break us up? Or what if they spread rumors about me, just like Derrick did? They were not true, but everyone believed them at first. And then, last but not least: my friends. Even though our school wasn't about social group wars, I still thought it could be a problem. I remembered how everyone pretended to be okay with Gaby dating Troy, but I knew they regarded her differently. It took them time to adjust to the fact that, despite her brains, Gaby had a crush on a "dumb basketball player". It's embarrassing to admit, but I was on their side for a few days until I realized it really didn't matter what social group her boyfriend represented. I became more open minded; I wish our school did the same.

'Still, didn't you guys talk about it?' Gaby kept asking. I rubbed my forehead and looked at her.

'We did… sort of. He mentioned it would be awesome to let everyone know, but I said it had to wait.'

'And?'

'It's still waiting.'

'Oh, come on! I know it's hard, but I don't think you guys should be hiding with it. You're dating each other, not the whole school.'

I gave her a confused look. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean it's your guys' business, not anyone else's.'

I looked up at the sky and sighed. She was right. She knew what she was saying, after all she went through the same thing.

'I'll talk to Chad' I told her. She gave me a serious look.

'Good. I just hope you will bring it up before September.'

'Yeah, yeah. Don't worry.'

'Wow man, I'm tired' we heard Chad say. I lifted my head up to see the guys walking back towards us.

'I know, me too' Troy agreed. He fell on his and Gaby's blanket. Chad put the ball down on the sand and sat next to me.

'Are you guys done?' Gaby asked. She sat up and looked at Troy. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

'Yeah. What, did you miss me?'

'Actually, yes' she said and kissed him. I glanced at Chad, who rolled his eyes and pretended to be interested in the waves. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes, enjoying the sun.

It was happening. Everything Chad was trying to avoid by ditching this double date was happening right now. A lot of "kissy-touchy" things. And to be honest, I didn't mind it as much because you couldn't blame them. They were crazy about each other. Besides this being a double date, it was a _date_. So they had every right to do whatever they were doing. Chad thought it was really annoying unless he was doing those things himself. What a guy.

'Hey, let's go swim' Troy suggested after pulling away from Gaby. She smiled.

'I'm in. You guys?' she asked after turning to us. I opened my eyes and shook my head.

'Nah, I'm fine. You go, I'll stay here and watch our stuff.'

'Yeah, you guys go' Chad said. 'I'll stay with Taylor.'

'Alright.'

They got up and started walking towards the water. A moment before they walked away, Gaby winked at me discretely. I rolled my eyes.

Chad was sitting and staring at the water. He was silent, which was weird. He kept staring ahead. I lifted my head up and realized he was watching Troy and Gaby running around and laughing. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him. I wondered what was going through his head at the moment; what he was thinking about.

I sat up and put my hand on his shoulder. He jumped up a little and looked at me.

'I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you' I said and took my hand away.

'No, it's okay. I drifted away for a moment, sorry…'

'You okay?'

'Yeah. I was just thinking.'

'About?'

He glanced at our friends and then looked down at his hands.

'Stuff' he said quietly. I decided not to question him about it. Instead I looked at my best friend and her boyfriend playing in between the waves.

'That seems fun' I said. Chad looked at me and then at them.

'Yeah… Would you do that?'

'What do you mean?'

'Wouldn't you be scared? Because you know, the whole deep water fear…' he explained. I smiled and looked at him.

'Well, yeah… But if you were there, you wouldn't let me drown, would you?'

'Of course not' he assured and smiled. We stared at each other for a moment and then looked back at the sea.

'Damn, I'm thirsty' he said after a moment of silence and looked around. 'Should I go to that bar over there and get us something?'

'No need' I said and reached for my bag. Chad watched me unzip it and pull out a thermo bottle. 'Here ya go.'

He took it from me and looked at it. 'Coffee?'

'What? No! It's water.'

'Why is it in the thermo bottle then…?' he asked with a confused look on his face. I rolled my eyes.

'Just drink it.'

He shrugged and opened the bottle. He took a sip and put the bottle down.

'Wow, that's cold!' he said and wiped a drop of water off his chin.

'You're welcome' I said and he smiled at me.

'So that's why it was in a thermo bottle, huh?' he asked and closed the bottle. 'That's a good idea.'

'Thank you.' I took the bottle from him and put it inside my bag.

'So, what are we gonna do?' he asked. He seemed to completely forget about whatever bothered him just a moment ago. I smiled at that.

'I don't know. What do you want to do?'

'Hmm.. we could play volleyball' he suggested. Now, I wasn't into sports that much and honestly, I didn't feel like getting up from the comfy blanket and playing volleyball on the hot sand, but I agreed anyways. I was happy Chad cheered up a little and I wasn't going to ruin that for him.

'Sure' I said. He got up first and then helped me up too.

'So, how's your volleyball?' he asked while picking up the ball from the ground. I shrugged.

'I don't know. It's okay, I guess' I said. Volleyball was probably one of the sports I was _okay_ at. I mean, I could hit the ball and stuff and that is what volleyball is all about. Right?

'Well, if it's any better than your basketball, then we're lucky' he said with a chuckle. I gave him an annoyed look.

'Seriously? That's how we're gonna play?' I asked. He chuckled once again.

'I'm sorry, that was just a joke.'

'No, Chad. This means war' I said seriously and took the ball away from him. 'I'll kick your ass.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Really?'

'Yup. Stand over there' I said. He smiled a little; I guess he was amused by my attitude. He did what I told him and looked at me. 'You'll be sorry you ever messed with me.'

'Alright McKessie, bring it on' he said and smiled rubbing his hands. I narrowed my eyes and hit the ball, aiming right at him. He hit it back and then I did and we continued doing that for a while.

I wasn't seriously offended by what he said about my basketball skills, but it was a good opportunity to show him I could do stuff other than just reading and studying. And he realized it halfway through.

'Wow' he breathed and caught the ball. 'Wait a sec.'

I smiled seeing him trying to catch a breath. I was breathing pretty hard myself, but it was totally worth it. I put my hands on my hips when he looked at me.

'You okay?' I asked with a sly smile. He chuckled after taking the last really deep breath.

'Yeah, I am. And wow, you're actually good, Tay' he admitted while walking up to me.

'I know' I said. He smiled and wiped the sweat off his forehead. 'And I totally kicked your ass.'

'It's hot, huh?' he asked and looked around. I frowned.

'Hey, don't try to change the subject!'

He looked at me. 'Huh?'

'Just admit to it' I demanded. He chuckled.

'Alright. Taylor, you won. You totally kicked my ass. And I totally deserved it for making fun of you. I'm sorry' he said and looked into my eyes. I smiled.

'See? Was that so hard?' I said jokingly and he laughed.

'Actually, for a guy with huge hair and even a bigger ego, yeah it was.'

I laughed. I looked around to see Gaby and Troy walking up to us. They were both soaking wet.

'Hey guys' Chad said. 'How was swimming?'

'Wet' Troy said and sat on their blanket. He grabbed the towel and started drying his hair. Gaby giggled and stood next to us.

'It was fine, the water is warm. What did you guys do?'

'I beat Chad at volleyball' I said proudly.

'Oh man, really?' Troy whined at Chad, but he just laughed.

'Yeah.. It just that the Sun kept getting into my eyes… and it's hard playing on the sand. And it's really hot and-' he kept excusing his loss, but Gaby interrupted him.

'And a girl beat you?' she finished. I giggled and Chad looked down.

'I let her win.'

'Yeah right' I scoffed.

'Hey man, don't worry about it' Troy said. We all looked down at him. 'A girl beat you in volleyball, but that doesn't mean we don't love you anymore.'

Gaby and I laughed, while Chad just hit Troy with the ball.

'Funny' he said sarcastically and looked away. I smiled and rubbed his arm.

'We're just joking.'

'I know, I know… Bolton is just a jerk' he said and looked down at Troy, who laughed.

'The weather is nice' Troy pointed out. 'It's really hot today.'

'True' I said. Gaby looked at me.

'You should go swim. It helped us cool down for a moment at least' she advised. I looked at Chad, who was already staring at me.

'What?' I asked, but he just smiled at me. 'What do you want?'

'I have an idea' he said with a smirk and got closer to me. I stepped away.

'What? What do you-? No, don't even think about it! Chad, there's no way-' I tried to oppose, but he didn't even let me finish. He wrapped his arms around my hips and picked me up, making me bend over his shoulder.

'We'll be right back, guys' he said and started carrying me towards the water.

'Put me down! Now!' I demanded, but he ignored me.

'Have fun!' Gaby called to us and waved to me.

'Danforth! Put me down, now!' I said and started banging my fist against his bare back, but he just laughed.

'It will be fun, don't worry' he said and held be tighter. I tried to break free, but stopped when I realized he was knees deep in water and didn't even stop walking. I started panicking.

'Chad, stop! Please!' I begged.

'Don't worry, it's not that deep here.'

'No, I'm serious. Stop walking. I'm scared' I said. He stopped walking and carefully placed me on the ground. A second ago I was trying to get away from him, but now I was holding on to him really tight. Even though the water wasn't that deep (it reached a little above my knees), I was terrified.

'Are you okay?' he asked and touched my cheek. I looked at him and saw some honest concern in his eyes. But instead of smiling and saying I was, I got a post-panic attack anger attack.

'Are you crazy?!' I screamed and broke out of his embrace. 'Don't you know I'm scared?!'

'I'm sorry, I thougt-'

'You thought what? You know I'm terrified of water! I could have drowned!'

'I'm sorry, Tay. I'm sorry' he apologized. I was quiet a moment until I got a crazy idea. I bent down a little and splashed him. He wiped the water off his face and gave me funny look.

We just stared at each other for a moment. I was mad, while he was trying to figure out what to do next. Suddenly, he splashed me back. I turned my back at him, so the water didn't reach my face. I waited until he was done splashing me and I then I attacked him. Finally, it became a splashing war. I closed my eyes and just went for it, not even sure if I was splashing him or not. All I knew was that I had to fight back, because he was attacking me too.

'Wait, wait! Time out!' Chad said. I stopped the defense and opened one eye to see if it wasn't a trick of some sort. But I saw he had his face hidden in his hands and I started worrying.

'Are you okay?' I asked.

'Salty water in my eye. Water in my eye alert!' he said and rubbed his eyes. I walked up to him and slapped his hand.

'Stop rubbing it, you're making it worse' I told him. 'Let me see it.'

'It hurts like hell' he said and reached to his face, but I stopped him.

'Let me see it' I said calmly and touched his cheeks. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

'It hurts' he said quietly. His eyes were a little red, but it didn't look too serious.

'I know it does' I said. 'Just don't rub it and you're gonna be okay. Sorry for that.'

'It's not your fault. I started it. Plus, you wouldn't do that to hurt me, huh?' he asked with a smile.

'Even though you really scared me, I'm not that mean' I assured. He laughed.

'The water's not that scary after all, don't you think?'

'It can actually be fun' I said and looked at the waves. My hands slid down to his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around me.

'I'm sorry, Tay. I would never try to scare you on purpose, I just wanted to cool off and I wasn't even going to take you any deeper than here. I really didn't mean to scare you' he said and looked into my eyes. I smiled.

'It's okay. I guess I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just that… you know, when you get scared, it's hard to control myself.'

'I know, and it's okay.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'That wasn't an apology.'

'Of course not' he said sarcastically and smiled.

'I'm serious, it wasn't an apology.'

'You know what, you're so cute when you're denying things' he said.

'I'm serious!' I said laughing.

'I love it when you act like you don't care about my feelings, but in reality you do.'

'Yeah, yeah' I said sarcastically. He smiled and pulled me even closer.

'Or remember when you denied liking me?'

'Well, you denied liking me too!' I pointed out. He nodded.

'Yeah, true. Damn, where was my head?'

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. 'In your ass.'

'Yeah, probably.'

He smiled, leaned in and kissed me. And that wasn't just a kiss; it was so much more. I don't even know how to describe it, but in that moment a tsunami of emotions hit me. I felt so happy; like I've never felt before. It wasn't even about the kiss, it was about the fact I had a great guy next to me. He was my boyfriend, but also a best friend. Being around him made me happy. He cared about me and never tried to hide it. We had this magical connection. We were dating for about a month, but we were much closer than people could imagine. I don't know what it was, but it was definitely more than just liking each other. It was special. At that moment I couldn't imagine kissing another guy in my whole life. All I ever needed was Chad. And he was right next to me.

He pulled away and smiled at me. I ran my hand through his wet hair.

'Sorry for ruining your perfect hair' I said jokingly. He chuckled.

'It's alright. Yours is still perfect, though.'

'Thanks' I said and pecked him on the lips. He smiled silly.

'You're perfect in general, Tay.'

'You're not so bad yourself' I said. He chuckled, because he knew that was the best compliment that could come out of my mouth.

'You cold?' he asked and rubbed my arms. I realized I had goose bumps all over, but they weren't caused by me being cold. 'You wanna go back?'

'Nah, I'm fine' I said. I stepped away from him and started walking around, looking at the water.

'What do you see there?'

'There was little fish and it went away… I'm looking for shells.'

We both started looking for shells. Finally Chad spotted something and dived in to get it. I looked at him when he stood up and shook the war out of his hair. I laughed and walked up to him.

'What you got there?'

'I found a shell!' he said and wiped the water off his face. He opened his eyes and looked at it. 'Yeah, I got it. Look.'

I took the shell from him and took a better look at it. It was white, but on the inside it was shiny.

'It's really nice' I told him. He pushed his hair back and smiled.

'You can keep it.'

'Thanks' I said and pecked him on the cheek. I licked my lips and winced at the salty taste. 'Now you're all salty.'

'Not my fault the water is salty. Wait, are you too?' he asked with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes.

'I don't know…'

'Let me check!' he said and grabbed me. I laughed when he buried his face in my neck and started pecking me.

'It tickles' I said giggling. He wrapped his arms from behind me and looked at me.

'You're also salty.'

'Hey, you're the one who started the whole splashing thing' I said and smiled.

'I know. It was fun' he said and kissed me. His arms loosened up a little, so that I could turn towards him. He took my hands in his and pulled away. I sighed and he put his forehead against mine.

'We should go back, huh?' I asked.

'Yeah… I'm getting a little cold' he admitted. I let go of his one hand, still holding the other. He smiled and we started walking back to our blanket.

'So, how was your guys' swim?' Troy asked when we walked up to them. I sat down and Chad did the same.

'It was fun' I said and smiled at Chad. 'I didn't drown after all, so I guess you could call it fun.'

Troy and Gaby laughed.

'Is anyone else hungry?' Gaby asked.

'Yup' the guys answered simultaneously. Gaby and I giggled.

'I kinda am too' I said. Chad grabbed his towel and wrapped it around me.

'You guys stay here, Troy and I'll look for some hotdogs' he said ad they both got up.

'Alright.'

Gaby and I watched them walk away in silence… Well, until they were far enough not to hear us.

'I saw you guys' she said and nudged me playfully. I smiled and looked down.

'I know…'

'You're too cute.'

'You think so?'

'Yup. You guys are made for each other' she assured. I lifted my head up and looked at Chad walking away with Troy.

I touched my necklace and smiled.

'I hope you're right.'

Taylor M.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! For the first time I don't have the apologize for this being late! Or do I? xD Update after a month sounds a lot better than updating every three months, huh? :P But I can't promise I will keep this routine :/ It's really hard.**  
><strong>Anyways, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review and stuff! Thanks! :P<strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>Summer has got to be the best time of the year. It's warm, the days are long and you have all the time for yourself. I enjoyed myself that summer a lot. Too much, as my dad would say. But you couldn't blame me; I was basically forced to go to the beach everyday with my boyfriend and our best friends. Not that I didn't enjoy that, but they still had to force me to go. What can I do, I'm more of a "stay at home" person.<p>

We kept going to the beach really often; often enough for Troy to completely sunburn his back. You see, he was too busy staring at Gaby and forgot to put some sunscreen on. And the poor guy ended up looking like a tomato. He had to take a week long break from the sun, which meant no beach for Gaby either. It basically left me and Chad to go by ourselves, but I got a little sick of the sand getting into my eyes, pockets and bag, so I requested we took a break too. He unwillingly agreed, but I had to promise I'd swim with him in his pool one day. Yeah right, like that was gonna happen.

I woke up quite early and I was out of the shower at around 8:30am. I did that only because it wasn't as hot in the morning. 10am was when the house started turning into an oven.

I ate some light breakfast, dressed in some shorts and a tank top and I had no idea what to do next. Destiny went to work, so I was home alone. I thought I could watch some TV, but as soon as I turned it on I realized morning hours meant infomercials. And summer meant infomercials until noon. I turned it off and threw the remote on the couch, next to myself, and wondered what to do next. The house was really silent; I could clearly hear the birds singing outside. I put my feet up on the coffee table and looked at them.

'_Toes are funny'_ I thought. _'They are like little fingers… no, ew, that's just nasty. Feet are disgusting.'_

I shook my head and lazily headed to my room. I opened the door and looked inside. It was early, but the sun moved so it was sort of dark in there. Having a room facing East was a pain in the butt, especially in Summer because the sunrise was at about 5am and my room was all bright by then. Before I had to get up every morning to close the drapes, but my parents finally listened to my complains and got blinds installed in my room. They were so much more effective, because instead of making my room pitch dark, they protected my sleepy eyes from the crazy sunlight.

I walked up to the windows and lifted all blinds up. I looked outside at the empty street and tried to predict the weather. There were no clouds on the sky, which meant it was going to be hot as hell all day. I sighed and looked at my balcony. It was partially covered in shade and the sunlight. I opened the balcony door to let some fresh air in and wondered what I could do next. I looked around my room, which was much brighter now that the blinds were up, and tried to find something interesting to do.

'_Should I fold some of my freshly washed clothes?'_ I thought. _'Nah, that could wait. Maybe I should dust a little? Nah. Should I make my bed? Probably, but what's the point if I'm going to need it later at night. Or maybe I should… Read a book! Yup!'_

I walked up to the dresser and picked up my new book. I started reading it the night before, but my eyes hurt too much and I couldn't even finish the chapter. But now was the perfect time! I sat on the bed, curled my legs up and started reading. But two sentences in, I started feeling all sleepy again. I closed the book.

'_The bed's making me sleepy…'_ I thought and looked around my room. _'Hmm, I need a new perspective.'_

It wasn't long before I got a great idea. I jumped off the bed, grabbed my chair and pulled it out on the balcony. I put in the center and sat on it. I stretched my legs and rested them up on the balustrade. They were covered in sunlight, while the rest of my body was in the cool shade. I smiled and reopened my book. Oh yeah, it did feel better. I really needed a new perspective.

I sat there for a while, completely sinking into the plot of the book. I don't remember which book I was reading exactly, mainly because I'd read like four books per month, but it definitely made me forget about the world around me.

That's why I didn't even realize when Chad opened his balcony door and walked outside. Apparently, he stood there for a while, because he wanted to see if I'd notice he was there. But I was taking too long, so that's why he cleared his throat.

I looked up from my book and saw him standing on his balcony, leaning on the balustrade. He was wearing some basketball shorts, a wife-beater and had his hair pulled back. He was looking at me with a playful smirk on his face.

'Hey, Tay' he greeted. I smiled.

'Hey. What are you doing up so early?'

'I have no idea' he admitted, which made me giggle. 'I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep.'

'Why?' I asked, looking down at my book.

'I was thinking about you.'

I looked up to see him grinning with that amazing spark in his eye. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

'Yeah, right' I said sarcastically. He chuckled.

'I'm serious' he said. I examined his face. It seemed as if the smirk wasn't leaving any soon. I took a better look at him and realized that the way he was leaning, his elbows resting at the balustrade and supporting the upper part of his body, made his muscles a little more visible. Hm.

'Well, if you really were, then what were you thinking about that had to do with me?' I asked. He chuckled and stood up.

'My parents are coming back tomorrow.'

'And?'

'I thought we could have a movie night' he suggested. I closed my book and looked at him.

'Really?'

'Yeah. You know, you and me… and Troy and Gaby.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Another double date?'

'Well, yeah… They're actually fun.'

'See? I told you!'

'True… plus, when they get busy, we get to be all alone' he said with a smirk. I giggled.

'Well, we're all alone right now… Besides, if you want to be all alone, why are you inviting Troy and Gaby?'

'Would your sister let you come over if she knew it would be just us hanging out?' he asked.

'Yeah, probably…'

He grinned. 'That means I don't have to invite them' he said hopefully. I laughed.

'No, you still have to invite them.'

'Oh come on, Tay!' he whined. I laughed once again.

'It will be fun, you'll see.'

'Oh, alright, alright. I'll call Troy' he said pulling his cellphone out of his pocket. 'God, the sun is crazy today.'

I looked over at his balcony and saw it was completely covered by sunlight, unlike my balcony, which was now practically in shade.

'Come here then, I don't want you to burn' I told him. He smiled, climbed on the tree, stepped on all the right branches and jumped off on my balcony. He walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek.

'Hey there' he said and sat on the bench. I smiled and turned my chair so that it was facing him. He dialed Troy's phone number and put the phone to his ear.

'Hey man' he said after Troy answered. 'Listen, I was thinking… Since my parents are coming back tomorrow, we could have movie night over at my place? This is the last day I'm home alone, let's not waste that… Yeah, the girls are invited too. We have no other choice, bro.'

I frowned and playfully kicked Chad. He laughed.

'Yeah, she's here…' he told Troy and winked at me. 'I know, I know... Yeah, tell Gaby and you guys should come over at…'

He looked at me and waited for me to tell him the best time for them to come over. I thought about it for a second and then held my palm up. Chad nodded.

'Yeah, at five… I don't know dude, we'll pick something. I got a lot of movies at home… We can also play some video games, if the girls are up for it… Yeah, see ya at five.'

Chad hung up and looked at me. I shook my head.

'I'm not gonna play any video games' I said.

'Why?'

'Because men take it too seriously, you get competitive and get angry really fast… Men take it more seriously than sports.'

Chad laughed. 'That won't happen, don't worry.'

'Yeah, right' I said sarcastically. 'You guys will kill each other.'

'We're not like that' Chad said laughing. 'I think you've seen too much of Tony playing Call of Duty.'

'Probably' I admitted and we both laughed.

I looked down at my book. I didn't know what we could talk about, but I didn't want him to leave yet. I lifted my legs up and rested them on the bench, next to Chad. He looked down at my feet and smiled.

'What?' I asked. He shook his head and chuckled.

'Nothing… You have cute feet.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'How can someone have cute feet? Feet are disgusting.'

'Yeah, but yours are… cute' he said and looked at me. 'Are you ticklish?'

I narrowed my eyes. 'Noooo…' I said hesitantly, even though it was a lie. Then Chad reached for my foot, but I took them both away soon enough. He grinned.

'Are you sure?' he asked. I curled my legs up and innocently nodded my head.

'Yeah…'

'Let's see!' he said, grabbed the chair and pulled me with it closer to him. And then, without even informing me beforehand, he started tickling me. I started laughing like a crazy person.

'Chad, stop!' I begged after I caught a breath. But he wouldn't. It was as if his hands were glued to my sides. I tried pushing him away, but I was laughing too hard to make any success in that. 'Chad!'

'Oh come on, you said you weren't ticklish' he said, not stopping that terrible torture.

'Hey guys' someone said from the ground. Chad instantly stopped tickling me and we both looked down, just to see my sister standing there smiling, with her arms crossed.

'Um… Hey' I said. Chad just smiled nervously and moved away from me. Destiny giggled.

'Ya'll alright up there?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yup.'

'Okay, cool. I'll be downstairs if you need me' she said with a wink, locked the car and headed towards the front door. I waited for the sound of it closing before looking at Chad.

'Am I in trouble?' he asked nervously. I laughed.

'Of course not!'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I am' I said before grabbing my book and getting up. Chad looked up at me.

'But, what if-'

'Don't worry, it's okay' I assured. 'Come on, let's go inside. It's really hot here.'

Chad sat there and watched me walk back into my room. He hesitated before following me, but he stopped at the balcony door. I looked at him.

'What's wrong?'

'Are you sure I can come in?' he asked. I giggled and pulled him inside.

'Yes, I'm sure you can.'

He nodded his head and looked around. I placed my book down on the desk and sat on my bed. I observed Chad as he took a short trip around my room.

'Wow, it's been a while since I've been here last time' he said nostalgically. I raised my eyebrows.

'Were you ever here?'

'Yup' he said and turned to face me. 'When Tony and I had a sleepover back in first grade… That was the night when we broke into your room and scared you in the middle of the night.'

I frowned. 'Yeah, now I remember. That was really mean by the way.'

'I know, I know' he said with a chuckle. 'But it was funny. And then your dad yelled at us… well, mostly at Tony, in this room…'

'It wasn't funny! I had to sleep in my parents' bed, because you guys scared the crap out of me!'

Chad smiled and continued looking around. 'Hey, but I came here in the morning and apologized.'

'I know…' I admitted and smiled to myself. 'I thought I forgave you, but then next week you killed my teddy bear with your bike…'

'Hey, that was an accident!' Chad defended himself. 'Tony left it in the yard, I didn't even see it on the sidewalk!'

'My mom spent the whole afternoon trying to operate him… His head fell off, you know.'

'I know… And then I gave you one of my teddy bears so you wouldn't be sad while yours was… well, headless.'

'Don't worry, I'll never forget that' I said. He turned to me and I smiled. 'That was the nicest thing ever.'

'I had a moment' he told me and smiled, before looking at my bookshelf. He looked at it from bottom to top and raised his eyebrows. 'Did you read all this?'

'Nah, not all of it.'

'But there's so many of them… How do you know which ones you read and which ones you didn't read yet?'

'Well, I don't know. I just remember the ones I read…' I said shrugging. Chad scratched the back of his head and read some of the titles before speaking again.

'And the ones you read… you read them completely? Like from page one to page last?'

I giggled. 'Yeah, that's how you read books, Chad.'

'Wow…' he mumbled and ran his fingers over some covers. 'In my whole life I only read one book completely.'

'Really? Which one was it?'

'It was back in middle school. Remember "Lord of the Flies"?'

'Of course I do.'

'I got really into it, because it was actually interesting for a book you have to read for class… I really liked the story and stuff…'

'I know, I remember you took part in the class discussion.'

'Because I found it really interesting… But then, as the story went on, we started discussing the symbolism of objects and the events… and the book was quite deep itself, but when the teacher explained the details, it got even more deep… I don't know, reading it made me feel like I was a part of the story… And the rest made me really sad and I didn't like how some things happened. I just hated how it made me feel, you know… Like I cared about the characters.'

'But that's good, Chad!' I told him. 'That's how you're supposed to feel while reading.'

'Yeah, but… I didn't really like that feeling' he said and sat at my desk. 'And the book ended and I had so many questions… Because of that book I decided to never read another one, because I hate getting engaged like that.'

I laughed. 'No way.'

'I'm serious! Now I only read summaries online. It hurts less' he said in a sad tone, but I couldn't help laughing.

'Aw, you're so adorable' I said. Chad raised his eyebrow.

'Is that good or…?'

'That's good… At least for me. I'm just really happy to hear a book got you so interested.'

'Yeah, well no one knows that besides you… Can we keep that a secret? I don't want anyone to know I cared about little boys who were all alone on a deserted island.'

I smiled. 'Deal.'

We sat in silence. Chad kept looking around my room and I kept praying I didn't leave anything embarrassing in sight. After all, I wasn't expecting a visit that day.

And yet again, I got to see another side of him. He was his real self when he was around me, but he still tried to act tough sometimes. Even though that wasn't what I was looking for in a guy, I wasn't trying to stop him. I guessed every guy wanted to seem tough sometimes, especially in front of their girlfriends. It was because of the gender stereotypes where women are all weak and men are the strong ones. Girls know that's not completely true, but guys think otherwise. And you can't argue with men's logic.

However, Chad shared a very personal thing with me. It was a small detail, but it made me learn so much about him. One, he was way more sensitive than I thought. Two, he did have a measurable amount of imagination. Three, he had a soft spot for younger kids. And four, he was sort of against violence. Those facts made me realize he was really way different than what I believed guys were. And that made him even more fascinating to me.

'So, what do you wanna do?' Chad asked. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him.

'Huh?'

'What do you wanna do? We still have a lot of time before 5; we could go hang out somewhere' he suggested. I thought about it.

'We could… where would we go? And please don't say the beach! I have sand falling out of my every pocket!' I whined.

'Alright, we won't go to the beach. But we could go to the park… Oh and we could also stop by at the store to get some snacks for tonight.'

'That's a better idea!' I said and smiled. 'I need to change first.'

'Me too' he said and got up from the chair. 'I'll see you downstairs in five?'

I got up from the bed, walked up to the mirror and looked at myself.

'Hmm, this might actually take a little longer…' I said, letting my hair out of the ponytail and brushing it with my hand. Chad chuckled and walked up to me.

'Don't trip, you look great' he said wrapping his arms around me. I blushed and looked down.

'Eh, what do you know! You have a crazy afro!' I said, trying not to accept his compliment. He laughed.

'I know. Too bad it'll never be as amazing as the one you had back in second grade' he said with a smirk.

'Hey!' I gasped. 'That was only for three weeks! My mom had a phase… and I was little, I didn't care' I tried defending myself. Chad smiled.

'It was awesome' he said and kissed my cheek before letting me go. 'I'll see you in ten. At the mailbox.'

'Yup' I said and turned around to face him. He winked at me and headed to the balcony. 'Can't you use the door like normal people do?'

'Whoever said I was normal?' he asked with a smirk. I laughed and waved him off.

'Fine, go.'

* * *

><p>I ran into the kitchen and snatched a fry from my sister's plate.<p>

'Hey!' she called. 'I was gonna eat that one!'

'Too bad now' I said and put the fry in my mouth. Destiny pouted.

'I understand you stealing food from me, but stealing food from your nephew or niece? That's just terrible' she said jokingly and rubbed her little bump. I laughed.

'Oh please, you two have been stealing food from everyone in this house. I deserve at least one fry!'

'Alright, alright! Have it! I guess I'll have to feed my baby someplace else' she said and we both laughed. 'Wow, look who decided to put on some clean shorts and a T-Shirt. Would you mind telling me why?'

'I'm going out' I told her.

'Where?'

'Next door, to Chad's.'

'To Chad's, huh?' she asked with a smirk. 'Didn't you guys have enough fun on the balcony this morning?'

'Stop it!' I blushed. 'We were just talking… Besides, I never got a chance to ask why you got back home so early.'

'Oh, I only had two therapy sessions today. I kept looking for food to eat, so they sent me home saying that would probably be the best for me.'

'Oh, okay… Anyways, I'm going over to Chad's because Chad, Gaby, Troy her boyfriend and I are going to have a movie night.'

'Movie night? What time will you be back home?'

'I don't know…'

'Does that mean I can invite Jerome over?' she asked. I rolled my eyes.

'NO. Don't invite him.'

'Okay, I wasn't going to anyways. He needs to be in court tomorrow morning.'

'Why?'

'Because… well, they framed him!'

I sighed. 'What did he do, Des?'

'He, he... Alright' she sighed and looked down. 'He may have stolen a car…'

'Are you kidding me?'

'It wasn't his fault though, he was out with his friends and they got into the car which in the end turned out to be stolen. They will not let him out until they find out who the thief was.'

'Wait, isn't that against the law? Don't they have to prove he stole the car before they lock him up?'

'Yeah, but since all of them have been arrested before, they sort of locked them up just to be careful…'

'Oh, Destiny' I sighed. 'Can't you just dump him?'

'I can't. I can't raise this baby by myself!' she cried. I shook my head.

'As if he's going to help you' I said doubtfully, which upset my sister.

'Listen, Taylor. You're only 17 years old, so don't try to understand grown up stuff!' she warned.

'I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just saying what I see. That guy is no good. He's not good for himself, for the community, not to even mention you and your baby.'

'Seriously Taylor, I'm-' she started, but my ringtone cut her off. She sighed and rested her head on the table, while I got up and answered the phone.

'Hello?'

'Hey, Tay. You coming?' Chad asked. 'Gaby and Troy are already here. We're waiting for you.'

'K, I'm coming! I'll be there in a sec!' I promised and hung up. I grabbed my jacket, put my cell phone into my pocket and walked up to my sister. I hugged her.

'I love you, Des' I told her and rubbed her back. 'Don't worry, everything will be okay.'

'Yeah, I know. Now get out, you'll be late.'

I gave her a final pat and headed for the front door.

'Take your keys! I'm not gonna be getting up just to let you in!' my sister called after me. I grabbed my keys off the hanger before turning the doorknob.

'Okay! Bye!' I said and closed the door behind myself. On the way to Chad's front door I tried to stop thinking about the drama happening in my sister's life. I mean, it was her problems, but it sort of affected all of our family members, including me. Maybe she was right; maybe I was too young to understand grownup stuff.

I rang the doorbell and shook the frown off my face. I'd worry about the problems later, now it was time to have fun.

Chad opened the door and smiled when he saw me. He moved out of the way and I came inside.

'Hey' I greeted. He closed the door and looked at me.

'Hey... The party's in the living room' he informed me. I laughed and headed to the living room. Chad followed me.

'Hey Taylor!' Troy greeted me. He was sitting on the couch, looking through boxes of movies. I sat down on the other end.

'Hey. Where's Gaby?' I asked.

'I'm right here!' she called from the dining room. 'I'm looking at some of Chad's baby pictures!'

I laughed. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah! Come see, he was soo cute!'

I laughed once again and looked at Chad, who had a little smile on his face. I got up from the couch and walked to the dining room, where I found Gaby sitting at the table, looking though a photo album.

'Did you find anything interesting?' I asked. She smiled and pointed at one picture.

'I found a bunch! But this one is the cutest' she said. I sat next to her and pulled the album closer to myself. I saw a picture of Chad, at the age of 3 maybe, wearing only a diaper and holding a basketball. I smiled.

'Looks like someone started quite early' I said. Chad walked into the room and crossed his arms.

'The skills don't come to you overnight' he explained. Gaby giggled.

'Your hair is so short here' she pointed out. Chad chuckled and walked up to us.

'This fabulous hair doesn't come overnight either' he said and Gaby and I laughed.

'Aww, this one is cute!' Gaby said and pointed at another picture. There was Chad and two other, very familiar kids sitting on the bench together. 'Who are they?'

I smiled and looked at Chad. He just pretended to cough and pointed at me. Gaby gasped.

'No way! Is that you, Taylor?' she asked pointing at the little girl. I nodded and sighed at my little pigtails.

'Yup, that would be me. And the other one is Tony. And for the record, I was forced into taking that picture. Our parents thought it would be really cute, even though they knew those two tortured me every day.'

'Hey, it was mostly Tony!' Chad defended himself. 'I was nice to you.'

'Yeah, except for the time you two tied me to the chair up in the tree house.'

'That was Tony's idea! He said he'd kick me in the shin if I helped you. And you might not know this, but I was the one who told your dad you were up there.'

I smiled and shook my head. 'Doesn't matter now, the trauma stayed.'

Gaby laughed. 'Do you guys have more of those crazy stories?'

'A whole bunch' Chad said and nudged me playfully. 'But an average person's life is too short to hear all of them.'

'True' I admitted. 'But I might tell you the craziest ones when we get some time.'

'Yeah, please!' Gaby begged. 'You guys are too cute with all the childhood stories!'

Chad laughed. 'I'll leave you girls to talk about that while I go check if Troy has made his mind up about what movie he wants to see.'

'Okay' we both said and Chad left the dining room. Gaby turned to the next page.

As we went through the album, we saw a lot of pictures of Chad with his parents, his cousins, his grandmas, Tony and me. I told Gaby some stories behind the pictures of Chad and I, the ones I remembered of course. And all those stories made me realize what a fun childhood I had, despite the fact that my brother tried to annoy me in every way possible. What made me even happier was that I realized Chad and I have known each other for so long and we knew almost everything about each other. He was always more than just a friend, but I never wanted to admit it. Having Chad around was just so natural that even though I found him irritating before, I still couldn't imagine him not living next door. He just had to be there.

When we finished looking at the pictures, we closed the album, I put in back on the shelf and we walked back to the living room. Troy and Chad were sitting at the opposite ends of the huge couch and playing a video game. Gaby rolled her eyes.

'You guys were supposed to find a movie' she said. Troy paused the game and looked at her.

'We did find movies. Like a lot. We need your guys' approval.'

I sat down next to Chad and looked at the screen. They were playing the NBA game. How shocking.

Gaby sat down next to Troy and picked up some movies from the pile on the coffee table. She narrowed her eyes at the titles.

'This is basically just horror movies and thrillers… and some disturbing slash offensive comedies' she summed up and handed some boxes to me. Chad scoffed.

'Hey, you can't expect us to watch some chick-flicks.'

'Yeah! We're men!' Troy added. Gaby glanced at me and we both giggled. Chad stretched his arm over the backrest and peeked over my shoulder.

'See anything you like?' he asked. I looked through the boxes and shrugged.

'I don't know… I mean, I really don't mind watching anything. After all this is a movie night, so whatever comes on, we can watch it.'

'So you're okay with watching a horror movie?' Troy asked me. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, why not.'

'Aren't you scared?' Chad asked jokingly. I shook my head.

'Nope.'

'Maybe you're just denying it?' he suggested jokingly, but I didn't find that funny.

'I'd have to be you' I snapped. He put his arm down and looked away. Gaby frowned.

'I don't know, Tay. I don't wanna be scared.'

'Come on, Gaby!' Troy begged. 'We can always turn it off when you get scared.'

Gaby thought about it for a second. Meanwhile, I turned to Chad and saw he was still looking down. I felt bad for snapping at him and pecked his cheek. He looked at me and smiled when he saw I was smiling. We both mouthed a "sorry" and everything was okay.

'Alright, let's do it' Gaby said. Troy smiled and put his arm around her.

'Bolton, let's finish the game first' Chad suggested and they got back to playing their video game. Gaby and I stared at the screen.

'Hey Troy, how's your back doing?' I asked.

'It's alright' he said, not taking his eyes off the screen. 'It burns like hell but it's better than it was.'

I nodded and looked at Gaby. She shrugged and we both giggled at how occupied by the game the boys were.

'Hey Chad, how's your little brother?' Gaby asked him. 'You never told us much about him.'

'That's 'cause there isn't much to tell' Chad replied. He was trying really hard to get his player to get the ball from Troy's player and finally score. 'His name is Charlie, he's really small and all he does is eat and poop… and sleep. Like a lot.'

'Awww, I bet he's cute' she said, but Chad didn't answer. Instead he jumped up from his seat to celebrate when he finally managed to get through Troy's defense. Gaby and I pulled our legs up on the couch and looked at each other.

'They're too into it' I said. She nodded.

'I see. When are your parents coming back?'

'In like two days. They're finally ready to leave Tony all alone in a big city' I said and grabbed the popcorn bowl from the table.

'Don't you miss him?' Gaby asked. I shrugged and put some popcorn in my mouth.

'Yeah, I guess. He's gone, so no one's there to annoy Destiny… I think she misses him more than I do.'

She laughed. 'Really?'

'Yeah. But she doesn't want to admit it.'

When the guys finished their game, they convinced Gaby and I to try playing it. We had no idea what to do, so they helped us. It started with showing us what buttons to press and ended up with the guys playing another game by themselves. When they finished that game, we started watching the movies. We watched a few comedies at first, which was fine because we all found them funny. But then Troy decided we had enough laughs and we moved on to the horror movies. I didn't think I'd be scared and compared to Gaby I wasn't scared at all, but some scenes were quite… terrifying. It wasn't about the brutality of the movies, because I wasn't scared of that. I got scared by things popping out of nowhere and tiny details such as the killer standing right behind the victim.

My eyes were glued to the screen, I had my legs pulled up and I had my arms wrapped around them. The room was completely dark now, the only light was the TV. I completely sank into the plot and my heart was beating like crazy, because the girl was hiding in the closet and the killer was looking for her. Everything was so quiet.

'Hey, you alright?' Chad whispered to me.

'Yeah' I whispered back, not taking my eyes off the screen. Chad nodded and looked at the screen.

Meanwhile, the killer heard the girl panting in the closet and he was slowly approaching it. The shot changed to her trying to hold her breath and everything went silent. And then, suddenly, the killer opened the closet and the girl screamed. Gaby screamed as well, while I turned my head and hid my face in Chad's chest. I don't know why I did that, but that was the first thing that came to my mind. And Chad didn't seem to mind it, because he wrapped his arms around me.

'You sure you're alright?' he asked with a smile. I nodded.

'Yeah… That was just really scary, that's all' I defended myself. Chad smiled and kept his arms around me. That helped me get through that and the next movies we watched. And those just kept getting scarier.

When the last movie finished, that was 30 minutes after midnight, Troy and Gaby left. I helped Chad clean up the living room to get rid of the evidence of someone else, besides Chad, being there. It wasn't that his parents didn't let him invite people over, but he was afraid they'd get mad if they found out he did it behind their backs.

After the living room was brought to its natural state, Chad offered to walk me home. It's funny because I lived just 100ft away from his house, but I had no intention of going outside by myself in the middle of the night, especially after watching all those movies. And Chad knew that.

He took my hand in his as we walked through the yard in silence. It was pitch dark outside, so I held on to his hand just in case someone jumped out of the bushes and tried to stab us.

We stopped in front of my back door and I turned to face him.

'Are you sure you can go in there all alone? Because if you want me to escort you back to your room…' he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and patted his arm.

'Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm safe in there… unless Destiny is waiting for me with a knife like she did last time' I told him. Chad laughed and nodded his head.

'Okay, I'll get going then. And if, by any chance, a serial killer does show up at your house tonight, I'm right next door' he said jokingly. I punched his shoulder playfully and giggled.

'Hopefully not, but thanks a lot anyways' I said.

We stared at each other for a moment. I didn't know what to say, but I didn't want him to leave yet.

'I don't wanna go…' he said, as if he read my mind. I smiled and looked down.

'I don't want you to go yet either… I'd invite you to come inside, but my sister would kill me if I had a guy over at night.'

'I know. I don't want to get you in trouble… We could go back to my place and hang out, but you know… My parents are supposed to come back tonight….'

'I understand…' I said and looked up at him. 'You should go back home, Chad. You look tired.'

'I bet you're tired too…' he said. 'Okay, let's go home. But promise we get to hang out tomorrow all day, just like we did today.'

I smiled. 'I promise.'

He leaned in and pecked me on the lips. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Yup. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight, Tay.'

He turned around and walked back towards his yard. I sighed and, as quietly as it was possible, entered my house. All the lights were turned off which meant Destiny was already asleep. I climbed up the stairs, silently walked past my sister's room and went into my own. I grabbed my PJs, went to the bathroom, took a shower and went back to my room.

I kept all the lights on, even the lights in the corridor, just to be careful. Finally, when I thought I was ready to go to bed, I turned off the light in the corridor and quickly closed my door. I looked around my room to make sure I was all alone. I picked up the clothes from my bed and left them on the chair; I didn't even dare to open the closet. I turned my lamp on, so that I could turn off the other lights, and got in bed. I took the last look around my room before turning the lights off. I turned to my side and closed my eyes. And then I saw the pictures of the movies in front of me. I tried really hard to think about some other, pleasant things, but I couldn't. My mind kept coming back to what I watched earlier that day.

'_Come on, Taylor. You can do this'_ I thought. _'It's just a movie. It's not real. And it's not scary.'_

Suddenly, I heard some silent, squeaky noise coming from the corridor. I jumped up in my bed and hurried to turn my lamp on.

'_What the heck was that?_' I thought. I hid behind the covers and listened carefully, but I heard nothing else. I told myself it must have been just the regular house squeaking, however I wasn't willing to turn the light off again. I lied down and stared at the ceiling. My eyes started closing and I let them. I was on the edge of falling asleep, when I heard some other noise coming from outside my room. I sat up.

'_Okay, this time I heard it for real_' I thought and shook my head. I already knew I wasn't going back to sleep that night. I got out of bed, turned all the lights in my room on and got back to bed. I wasn't going to check where the sound came from, because that's usually how you get killed in movies. I was smarter than that and I stayed in my room. Now I needed something to get my mind off the scary topics. I grabbed my book, opened it and started reading. It was hard at first, but I managed to sink into the book.

Suddenly my phone started vibrating. I got scared at first, but reached for it a moment later. And then I thought this could be like Scream, so I had second thoughts. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Chad. I answered it in the last second.

'Yeah?'

'You asleep?' he asked. I felt better when I heard his voice instead of some creepy one.

'Yeah' I said. I didn't want him to know I was up because I was scared. But he was one step ahead of me.

'Really? Is that why your lights are on?' he asked with a chuckle. I looked at the windows and realized that even though the blinds were down, you could still see the lights from outside. I sighed.

'I can't sleep, Chad' I whined. 'It's because you made we watch all those stupid horror movies!'

Chad laughed. 'Aww, poor Tay. I'm sorry, but you said you wouldn't be scared.'

'And I wasn't that scared while watching the movies, but being alone in a big, dark house is making my imagination go crazy' I complained.

'Wait, isn't your sister home?'

'Yeah, but she's sleeping…'

'Well, at least you're not alone like me.'

'Awww, are you also scared?' I teased.

'If I said yeah, would you come here and cuddle me to sleep?' he asked and from his tone I could tell he was smirking. I giggled.

'Probably… But you're not, so too bad.'

'How do you know I'm not? I'm not sleeping either.'

'Why is that? Are you really scared?'

'Well, not really' he admitted. 'But I saw the lights in your room and thought I'd stop by and hang out.'

'Huh?'

'I'm on your balcony, Tay. Come here' he said. I scoffed.

'Nuh-uh! I've seen too many horror movies to fall for that, Danforth' I said seriously. Chad laughed.

'I'm serious. Come out, it's just me. I promise there's no serial killers here with me.'

'Are you sure?' I asked and looked at the balcony door. Since the blinds were down, I couldn't see what was happening outside.

'Yeah, I am. I'd tell you if there was Freddy Krueger here hanging out with me. It would be a big deal, Tay.'

'I know it would' I said and got off the bed. I walked up to the balcony door and put my hand on the knob. 'But how can I trust you?'

'I guess you just have to' he said. I opened the door and saw him standing outside. I sighed in relief and put my phone down. Chad laughed and put his cellphone into his shorts pocket.

'Did you seriously think I'd be a killer?' he asked. I shook my head.

'Hey, I had no idea. You know Scream was pretty messed up. It taught me you can't trust anyone' I told him, which made him laugh again.

'I get it. Well, I'm not a serial killer.'

'How can I know that?' I asked jokingly.

'Tell me, do serial killers bring blankets with them?' he asked, holding up a blanket. I giggled.

'Nah, they have knives and stuff… Okay, I believe you. But if you're not a serial killer, then why are you here?'

'Oh, that's simple. I knew you were scared, so when I saw the lights in your room, I figured out you couldn't sleep and you probably wished your awesome boyfriend was there with you… so here I am!' he said with a smile. I giggled.

'Okay, let's say that's partially true… To be honest with you, I wasn't going to sleep tonight so we might as well just hang out. Wanna come inside?' I asked. Chad looked at me, then looked at the bed in my room, bit his lips and looked at me.

'I have a rule…' he said. I nodded my head.

'You don't come into girls' rooms after dark, I get it' I said, stepped outside and closed the balcony door. I didn't want mosquitoes in my room. I looked at Chad. 'I admire you for that.'

'Thanks, I guess…' he said and looked down. I sat on the bench.

'Don't you ever think about, you know… breaking it? Doesn't that cross your mind sometimes?'

He looked at me and bit his lips. 'Yeah, quite often actually… But I try not to break my own rules.'

'Well, yeah… that would be… just wrong' I admitted. Chad nodded his head.

'Yeah, it would…' he said. I pat the bench to tell him he should sit down next to me. He did that and rested the blanket on his lap.

'It must take a lot of strength' I pointed out. Chad rubbed his hands and nodded his head again.

'Yeah… and sometimes it's really hard… to stop myself…' he said and looked at me.

'You know, a lot of guys would just use that opportunity to get what they want… but you don't do that.'

'Yeah, well… I guess I'm just different…' he said and looked down at his hands. I smiled at him.

'That's why you're special to me' I told him and pecked his cheek. He looked at me with a confused look and I giggled. 'What's up with the blanket?'

He looked down at his lap and saw the blanket. 'Oh yeah! I forgot! Um, are you cold or something?'

'A little, yeah' I said. He grabbed the blanket and tried to wrap it around me, but I stopped him. 'What about you? Aren't you going to be cold?'

He looked down at it and then back at me. 'How are we gonna make this work?'

'Hm… How about we do the same thing we did on the beach?' I suggested. Chad smiled, put his left leg over the bench, wrapped the blanket around himself and leaned on the wall.

'Come here, Tay' he told me. I turned my back to him and slid towards him so that my back was touching his chest. I curled my legs up and he wrapped his arms and the blanket around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and he buried his head in my neck.

We were both really tired and all we wanted was to go to sleep. I didn't know about him, but I knew that as long as I was with him, no nightmares could scare me. I completely forgot about the movies and finally relaxed. Being with Chad did magic to me.

'Chad?' I said quietly. He lifted his head up and his sleepy eyes met mine.

'Yeah?'

'You know, back in February… when we sat here in the night… Way before you told me you liked me… We were up here and you were about to kiss me, remember?'

'Yeah, of course I do' he said, wrapping his arms tighter around me. I lifted my head up.

'Then why didn't you? Why didn't you tell me you liked me then?'

Chad raised his eyebrows and looked at his house as if he was thinking. Then he bit his lips and looked back at me.

'I was scared' he replied.

'Why?'

'Because I didn't know if you liked me back. And if I kissed you and you'd reject me, I'd feel like an idiot. And I was almost completely sure you didn't like me at all. I was happy we finally had some kind of normal friendship going on, I didn't want to ruin that. I decided to wait and I waited until I was sure I had a slightest chance with you.'

'You could have tried at least' I told him. He smiled and shook his head.

'And risk losing you as a friend? I'd rather just suffer my whole life.'

I smiled and rested my head on his chest. 'You're amazing, you know.'

He laughed. 'If you think that I'M amazing, you clearly haven't met that one girl… Hey name starts with a T or something.'

'Really?' I asked with a smile. 'Well, if she's so amazing, you should be able to remember her name.'

'Oh come on, I'm just joking. She has the name I'd never forget' he promised and rested his chin on my head. 'Fun fact. The first word I learned to spell was "Taylor".'

'How come?'

'Well, because I really wanted to invite you to my 5th birthday… My mom helped me write the invitations, meaning I would write the names of the kids… and I only knew how to spell "Taylor". I didn't even know how to spell "Chad".'

I giggled. 'Are you kidding me? But "Chad" is much easier to spell than "Taylor".'

'Hey, what can you do. I was really lazy and I didn't want to learn how to write or read, but learning how to spell "Taylor" was a whole other thing. I watched how you'd always sign your drawings at school and I learned how to spell your name.'

I lifted my head up and looked into his eyes. And then I kissed him. But really kissed him. I hoped the kiss reflected how I felt inside. And it probably did, because after I pulled away all Chad could say was:

'Woah! What was that for?' he asked. I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.

'For being yourself' I replied. He sighed happily and tightened his grip around me. I nuzzled my face in his neck and we sat there in silence.

I started feeling sleepy again. I tried to suppress a yawn, closed my eyes and listened to his breaths. Chad rested his head on the wall and stared at the dark sky.

It wasn't long before I completely drifted off in my dreams. Knowing Chad was next to me made me feel so safe, I completely forgot we were on my balcony.

But my paradise was invaded by a sound of a car engine running. I felt Chad rubbing my arm.

'Taylor, wake up' he whispered. I lazily opened my eyes and looked up at him.

'What?' I said, but he sushed me down.

'Shh. My parents are back home. I gotta get going' he whispered. I rubbed my eyes, sat up and peeked my head over the balustrade. I saw Chad's mom getting out of the car, while his dad was carefully taking a baby carrier out from the back seat. I smiled when I saw a little baby sleeping peacefully in it.

'You're right, you better go back' I whispered facing Chad. I shook the blanket off myself so that he could get up. He got up from the bench, folded the blanket nicely and threw it over to his balcony. Then he crouched and put his finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I nodded my head and sat still. His parents couldn't see us like that, but as soon as we got up or even moved a little, they'd notice us.

'Michael, I'll take Charlie. You get the car in the garage. I'll put him upstairs and help you with the luggage' Chad's mom told Mr. Danforth.

'No, no need. Just take him upstairs. I'll leave the car in the garage. The luggage can stay there over night. I'll get Chad to help me carry it in tomorrow' Mr. Danforth replied.

'Great, Chad can't wait' Chad whispered sarcastically, but I covered his mouth and smiled.

'Alright' Ms. Rossi said and the sound of her footsteps died away. We heard the garage door open and the car engine starting. Chad stood up and looked at the car.

'Okay, now it's my chance. See you tomorrow, Tay' he said before giving me a quick peck on the lips. Then he climbed back onto his balcony, waved to me for the last time and disappeared behind the glass door. I sighed and made my way back into my room.

I closed the door and looked around. The lights were still on and I had no intention of turning them off. I looked at the clock and saw it was 3am. It was still dark outside and since Chad wasn't there, I was scared to go to sleep.

But then I got a crazy idea. I grabbed my pillow and slowly opened the door of my room. I poked my head outside to check if no one was there and ran to the light switch. I turned the lights on so that I could turn off the lights in my room. I held on to my pillow and I figured out I'd use it as a weapon in case someone tried to kill me. I walked down the corridor and stopped at Destiny's door. I took a deep breath before opening the door and peeking in. My sister was sound asleep in her bed. I cleared my throat.

'Destiny?' I whispered.

No answer.

'Des?' I said a little louder.

She shifted.

'Des?' I said even louder. My sister groaned.

'What?' she almost barked. I looked down at my pillow.

'Are you sleeping?'

She sighed. 'No, Taylor. I'm fucking skydiving. And I'm quite busy, so come back in the morning' she said sarcastically and pulled the covers over her face. Funny how she could always be sarcastic, even woken up in the middle of the night. I stood there for a moment trying to figure out what to tell her.

'Can I stay here for the night?' I asked. Destiny uncovered her face and looked at the ceiling.

'Why?'

'I'm scared… I can't sleep' I told her. She lifted her head up and gave me a confused look.

'What happened?'

'I watched a bunch of scary movies… and um… this house is really loud at night' I explained. Destiny's head hit the pillow as she sighed.

'If I let you stay, will you shut up and let me sleep?' she asked.

'Yes, I promise.'

'Okay, come here, you little chicken' she said and turned to her side. I turned off the light in the corridor, closed the door to her room and lied down in her bed. I put my pillow under my head and closed my eyes. I was asleep within seconds.

Taylor M.


	25. Chapter 25

I know it's late, again. And I'm sorry, again. But here's a long chapter so don't hate me guys! :P  
>I've been stuck in the middle of this for nearly a month until I finally got inspired two days ago. I hope you like it!<br>And no, I don't have any idea when the next chapter will be out BUT I know what it's going to be about, so it should be done fast. :)  
>Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! :D<br>~TheCreativePenguinLover

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><p>Waking up in my sister's bed wasn't a surprise… Well, it was at first. Then I remembered I "chickened out" and came over to her room in the middle of the night. I sat up on the bed and looked around. The room was really messy and to be honest I didn't expect it to be any different than it was. Besides the room being disorganized, it was also missing my sister. I looked at the clock and saw it was 11:30am. I was so tired last night that I slept almost until noon. I yawned, crawled out of the bed and walked downstairs. I walked into the kitchen and saw my sister sitting at the table, eating her breakfast.<p>

'Hey' I greeted and sat in front of her. She smiled.

'Finally. I had to go in there once in a while and check your pulse. For a moment I thought you were dead.'

'Why didn't you just wake me up instead?' I asked. She finished her cereal and put the spoon down.

'I figured you were really tired so I decided to let you sleep. Besides, it's summer. You can sleep all you want, you don't have to wake up for work or anything.'

I yawned. 'True. Anyways, why are you still here? Why aren't you at work?'

'Oh, I took a day off. I have a doctor's appointment at 2pm. We're going to see how everything is in there' she said and smiled while rubbing her round tummy. I smiled at her.

'How long do I still have to wait to become an aunt?' I asked.

'I don't know… last time the doctor said it's been 21 weeks already… Which is around 5 months.'

'Wow, has it really been that long?'

'Yeah… I mean, I found out in May which doesn't mean I wasn't pregnant before… Oh and today I get to find out my baby's gender!'

I gasped. 'Seriously? That's awesome! I've been dying to know' I said and we both squealed. My sister laughed and looked down at her tummy.

'Me too…'

'What would you rather have, a boy or a girl?' I asked. A second later I realized it was a childish question, but I couldn't help my curiosity. Destiny laughed.

'I have no idea. Based on mine and Jerome's personality, whatever it is, it's gonna be hard to tame… And I really don't wanna predict anything! That's why I didn't even start thinking of names, because what if I really really liked a boy's name and got a girl? You know what I mean? It sounds stupid, but I don't want that to happen. So I decided that until I find out, I'll just call it Baby.'

'I get it. And I'm really excited we're gonna have a baby around here!' I admitted. 'You know, even though it will be tough… But I still can't wait!'

'Yeah' Destiny scoffed. 'Easy for you to say! You won't have to give birth to it! You won't have to raise it to be a good person! You won't have to send it to preschool or school… You won't have to spend all your life working just to send it to college!'

I laughed. 'Slow down, sis. Have the baby first and then you can start worrying.'

Destiny sighed. 'You're right… Gosh, I remembered how terrified I was when I found out… I'm still scared, but you know… I really want to have the baby. I really want to pick it up and hug it. I want to face this challenge and be a mom.'

I smiled. 'You're gonna be an awesome mom, you know that, right?'

'Oh please' Des groaned. 'I couldn't even keep you away from that Chad kid. I was supposed to keep an eye on you and you were hanging out with him behind my back, getting together and doing… whatever the hell you were doing. How am I supposed to take care of a little human?'

'Don't worry. That's different. You know I'm big and I can take care of myself. Besides, I'd much rather have a mom who stays out of my business than one who's always on my back.'

'Seriously?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah. Like Mom for example! She respects our privacy and she stays out of our business. She knows we will make mistakes, but she lets us make them and learn from them. That's what I think parents should do… You know, in adequate situations.'

'Hm, true… Okay, you're right. I'll just ask Mom for advice… like every day. Maybe one day I'll learn how to be a good mother…'

I laughed and got up from the table. 'Yeah, you should do that.'

'I can't wait to finally find out and tell Jerome' Destiny said somewhat melancholically. That caught my attention.

'Wait, isn't he going with you?' I asked and took a fruit salad out of the refrigerator. Destiny shook her head and looked down.

'Nope, he can't make it… He said he had a job interview or something.'

'Well, at least he's looking for a job' I said and leaned against the counter. Destiny smiled weakly.

'Yeah… Who knows, maybe we'll make some money and rent an apartment...'

I was about to ask her about the odds of that actually happening, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. She was going through a rough time and me pointing that out would just make things worse. I was happy, because she could still see some bright sides of her future. My role was to support her, no matter how unrealistic her ideas seemed to me.

'I don't want you to move out' I said. She looked up at me. 'I really don't.'

She giggled. 'I know, I don't want to move out either… But you know, growing up sucks. And you have to do unpleasant things.'

I sighed. 'I get it.'

'Good' she said and got up. 'Now, make sure you clean up a little before Mom and Dad come back today. They said their plane lands at about 1:30pm, so when they get here, I'll be at the doctors. I don't want them to come in, see mess and scream, okay?'

'Yeah, I'll do that.'

'Thanks.' She smiled. 'Now, excuse me. I'm gonna go upstairs and get some sleep. The baby was kicking all night, so I'm really tired.'

'Wait, what? Kicking? Why didn't you wake me up?'

'Because you were sound asleep. Plus, it started some time ago… But it was just once or twice a day. Last night it gave a real show. And I'm still getting used to it, so it was weird.'

'Aww, you never said anything!' I whined. 'I wanna feel it!'

Destiny laughed and patted my shoulder. 'No you don't, trust me. But sure, when it kicks, I'll call you. I promise.'

'Awesome!'

'Great. Now, do whatever you want, just be quiet. And lock the doors when you leave the house, I don't want anyone breaking in here… and I don't want to wake up on a ship to China, okay?'

I laughed and nodded my head. 'Of course.'

I took my fruit salad upstairs to my room, ate it and got dressed. I remembered about my sister's request, so I decided to read a book which was the most quiet activity I could think of. I only had a few chapters left, which I was happy about, because I'd be finishing the book simultaneously with summer's end.

At around 1pm the doorbell rang. I walked out of my room and on the way downstairs, I closed the door to my sister's room. She still had some time to sleep left and I didn't want her to waste it.

The doorbell rang again as I walked down the stairs. I jumped off the third step and ran towards the door to open it. It was Chad.

'Hey-' I managed to say before he lightly pushed me inside. I gave him a funny look. 'What's up?'

'You alone?' he asked and looked around the hall.

'No, Destiny is upstairs… She's sleeping, why?'

'Just asking.'

'Why did you just do all that…?' I asked and pointed at the door. He laughed.

'Oh, that… My dad's near our garage and I didn't want him to see what I'm about to do.'

'Meaning?'

And then he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me closer to him. He also flashed me a sly smile before kissing me. Now that's how you say good morning.

'Smooth' I said after pulling away. We both laughed.

'Thanks' he said. 'So, you ready to go?'

'Ready to go where?'

'Next door' Chad explained and pointed in the direction of his house. 'You know, a little someone just woke up…'

I smiled. I was seriously flattered by how much he wanted me to finally meet his little brother.

'One sec, let me get my keys.'

He took his arms away from me, I put my sneakers on and grabbed my keys off the shelf. He held the door open for me and we walked outside.

'Hopefully Destiny won't forget to wake up on time' I said while locking the door. Chad walked down the steps and looked at me.

'Where she goin'?' he asked. I checked if the door was locked and walked up to him.

'She has an appointment today… She's finding out her baby's gender' I explained. We walked up to the gate between our yards and Chad opened it for me.

'That's exciting' he said once we were in his yard. 'Did she say what she'd want it to be?'

'Nope, she didn't tell me… She said she doesn't want to predict anything. She just wants to find out.'

'That seems like a good idea.'

We walked up the steps to the Danforths' front door and Chad opened that one for me as well. We walked into the hall quietly.

'Hey mom, I brought Taylor' Chad said and closed the door behind us. Ms. Rossi walked into the hall and smiled at me. Her long, shiny, brown hair was pulled into a pony tail. She was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, which was weird to me, because whenever I saw her, she would always wear elegant clothes.

'Hi, Taylor. How are you, dear?' she asked. I smiled back at her.

'Hello. I'm fine, thank you.'

'Oh come on Chad, don't just stand there. Get Taylor something to drink. You thirsty?'

'No, no I'm fine. Thank you, really.'

'You sure?' Chad asked. I nodded my head.

'Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine.'

'Okay then' Chad's mother said. 'Come on in, don't stand in the hall. Come on, come here.'

She motioned for us to follow her and we did. She lead us to the dining room and rapidly gathered all the papers that were on the table. She put them into one pile and rested them on the side of the table.

'We also have some cookies. Chad's grandmother baked them. Don't be afraid to try them, Taylor' she said with a smile.

'Yeah, they're really good!' Chad assured and reached for the plate. His mother slapped his hand. 'Hey, what was that for?'

'You had enough already' she said. 'Leave some for our guest.'

'Right, sorry' Chad said and looked down. I giggled and Ms. Rossi smiled.

'Have some, Taylor. And make yourself at home' she said to me, rubbed my arm and disappeared in the kitchen.

See, now Ms. Rossi was a funny person. Funny in a sense of how she behaved. Chad always complained about her being really demanding and mostly really serious, which was true. However, I've known her long enough to realize why she was like that. She was one of those people who have everything on their shoulders and need to take care of everything. She basically raised Chad all by herself, she had a house to take care of and a job to keep. And she managed to do all that. Whenever anyone came to visit, the house was always clean as if it was brand new. She herself was always well-groomed, always looked elegant. I always admired her for keeping up the class, even though she had to deal with a child like Chad… and later with a child like Charlie. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

'Can I have your cookie?' Chad whispered to me. I grabbed one off the plate and looked at him.

'Are you kidding me? No way' I said and put the cookie in my mouth. Chad made a sad face.

'Wow, thanks, Tay.'

I giggled at him. He looked around and smiled.

'Hey look, there he is' he said and pointed at a baby carrier sitting on the couch. We quietly walked up to it and saw a little baby sitting there.

'Taylor, meet Charlie. Charlie, this is Taylor' Chad introduced us. I giggled at his silliness and we both kneeled in front of the carrier.

Charlie was the smallest baby I've seen up to that point in my life. He had tiny fingers, toes, feet, nose and everything. He was dressed in a blue onesie, which was a little bit too big for him. His eyes were still just tiny, brown chinks, but it was obvious he looked at us when we walked up to him.

'He's so adorable' I said.

'Isn't he?' Ms. Rossi asked and walked up to us. 'But believe me, he's only that cute when he's full and his diaper is clean.'

I giggled and stroked Charlie's hand with my finger. He moved his little fingers and grabbed mine. Chad smiled.

'Look, he likes you' he said. His mother smiled at us, picked up some of Charlie's clothes from the couch, sat down and started folding them.

'So Taylor, tell me, do you think your sister would find some time for Charlie?' she asked.

'I guess so… From what I noticed she has very flexible working hours, so I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you out and take care of him' I replied.

'That's good. You see, I was just going to ask her about that… I could really use some help once or twice this week. Mr. Danforth and I have something to take care of and I don't think leaving Charlie with Chad would be a good idea.'

'Good' Chad said and stroked Charlie's round belly. 'No way I'm staying all alone with him.'

Ms. Rossi giggled. 'I know. Besides, it's a big responsibility. Destiny has some experience with children. Plus, she used to babysit you and I trust her. Oh, and Taylor, tell her not to worry. I'm not gonna need her long term. I think she suffered enough while watching after Chad.'

I laughed and Chad rolled his eyes.

'Actually, I think Destiny's available most of the time' I said. 'Until her baby comes, of course.'

'Oh, that's right!' Ms. Rossi said and put Charlie's T-shirt on her lap. 'I completely forgot she's expecting a baby. Well, in this case, I won't bother her. She should get all the rest she can before she has to take care of a child full time.'

'Don't worry, Ms. Rossi. I'm sure she could help you out this week' I assured. Chad's mother smiled at me.

'Thank you, dear. I'll talk to her when I get a chance.'

I looked back at Charlie, who was still holding my finger. He was looking at Chad, who was making funny faces at him.

'Mom, is he ever gonna smile?' Chad asked. Ms. Rossi put the little T-shirt on top of the pile and grabbed another one.

'Not if you continue scaring him. Give him time, Chad. He'll start smiling soon, he's still too small.'

Chad gave up on trying to make Charlie smile and gently stroked his curly head. I smiled.

'He probably likes that more.'

'I know, that's why I'm doing it' he said. 'If it's the only way to suck up to him, I'll do it.'

Ms. Rossi and I laughed at him.

Suddenly, we heard the back door open and Mr. Danforth walked into the living room.

'Oh, look. We have a guest!' he said and smiled at me. 'How you doin', Taylor?'

'I'm fine, thank you.'

'What brings you here?' he asked and walked up to us. Chad looked up at him.

'I brought her here so she could see Charlie' he explained. Mr. Danforth smiled.

'Ah, look at that. He's only 3 weeks old and the ladies already love him' he joked. Chad and I laughed.

'Michael' Ms. Rossi said seriously. Mr. Danforth chuckled.

'Hey, I'm just kidding.'

Ms. Rossi shook her head, picked up the pile of clothes and carried it to the other room. Mr. Danforth sat down next to the carrier.

'She's just mad, because she doesn't any girls around her boys' he explained and tickled Charlie's belly. 'You're lucky, son. Now that she has this one to worry about 24/7, she might ease up on you.'

Chad raised an eyebrow. 'You think so?'

'Yeah. Just behave. I'm not saying miracles will happen, but she might let you go out more often and stuff.'

'Awesome' Chad said and smiled.

'Michael, can you give me a hand?' Ms. Rossi called from another room.

'Coming!' Mr. Danforth said and ran to the other room. Chad looked at me.

'Looks like I'm finally getting a break.'

'From what? You mom lets you do a lot of stuff.'

'Yeah, I know…' Chad said and stroked Charlie's hand. 'But you know… Maybe she'll relax and stop worrying so much about me.'

Suddenly, we heard a loud bang coming from another room. Chad and I both got scared, not to even mention little Charlie. He instantly started crying. We both looked at him.

'Shhhh bro, it's okay' Chad tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop. Quite opposite actually, he started screaming even louder.

'Mooom!' Chad called. We were helpless; neither of us knew what to do. Fortunately, Mr. Danforth walked into the room.

'It's okay, nothing happened' he said. Chad looked up at him.

'Dad, make him stop! Did I do something?'

'No, don't worry' he assured and picked Charlie up and hugged him. 'I forgot to close the back door, there was a draft and the door just slammed.'

'Oh, okay…'

'Michael, did you forget to close the door again?' Ms. Rossi said when she came into the room.

'Yeah, sorry' he apologized and started rocking Charlie. 'Shhhh son, it's okay. Daddy forgot to close the door because he's old and Mommy doesn't understand that. She thinks Daddy did it on purpose, but we both know his memory is not as good as Mommy's.'

Chad and I laughed, while Ms. Rossi just smiled and shook her head. She picked up Charlie's pacifier and put it carefully into his mouth. He stopped crying right away.

'Taylor, one more thing I have to ask you' Ms. Rossi said. 'When are your parents coming back?'

'Today. Their plane lands at around 1:30pm I believe' I answered. Mr. Danforth looked at his watch.

'It's 2 now, so they're probably gonna be home any minute' he said.

'I'm asking because Mr. Danforth is leaving for New York next week and we thought it would be a good idea to get together and have a dinner here, at our home' Ms. Rossi explained. 'Do you think they'd find some time for us?'

'Yes, probably' I said. 'My mom's working shifts now and Dad's at home all day, until the school year starts.'

'Great' Mr. Danforth said. 'Tell them I'll stop by today.'

'I will.'

'Now, excuse me. I think I'll go put this little gentleman into his crib. All that crying made him tired' he said and kissed Charlie's head.

'Okay and check his diaper' Ms. Rossi told him. He nodded and headed up the stairs.

'Ummm… Taylor and I are going to go to my room…' Chad announced. His mother looked at us and nodded her head.

'Alright. Just don't make noise, let Charlie sleep for at least an hour?'

'You got it, Mom' Chad said, got up and helped me up too. Ms. Rossi smiled at us and we slowly walked upstairs.

"Upstairs" was the part of the Danforths' house I've visited only a few times. The rooms there where Charlie's room , bathroom, a guest bedroom, Chad's room and his parents' bedroom, which, of course, I've never seen. We walked down the corridor in silence and stopped in front of Chad's room. He opened the door for me and we walked inside.

I looked around and slowly remembered what his room used to look like and how much it changed over the years. First of all, his room was huge. It was at least twice the size of my room. He had a king sized bed, which was an unusual addition to a teenager's room. His desk was quite large; there was enough place for a laptop and books. He had a big bean bag in front of a 20'' TV. There were basketball posters hanging on the walls and a small basket. Also, he had a shelf where most of his medals and trophies were displayed.

'Ummm… Sorry for the mess?' Chad said, not really sure why I was looking around his room in silence.

'No, it's not that. It's just… It's been awhile since I've been here.'

He smiled. 'Oh. Okay then. Well, have a seat or… you know, whatever.'

I smiled at him and sat down on his bed. He grabbed some clothes from the bed and from the floor and threw them into the closet. He casually sat down on the bean bag and looked at me.

'So, what do you wanna do?' he asked. I shrugged.

'I don't know, what can we do?'

'Well, the Xbox is downstairs, but I have a PS3 here… Wait, no! I wanted to show you something first!' he said and jumped up. He started looking through drawers, then he moved on to his pockets. But he couldn't find it.

'What are you looking for?' I asked. He looked around.

'Currently? My wallet' he explained and reopened the drawer. I looked around the bed and picked up a pair of shorts. I checked the pockets and took a leather wallet out.

'I think I found it!'

Chad turned to me and smiled. 'Yup, that's it! Thanks.'

I put the shorts back where I found them and he took the wallet from me. He opened it and took something out. That caught my attention.

'What you got there?' I asked. He grabbed the chair from his desk and dragged it to the edge of the bed, right in front of me. He sat down and handed me a labeled card.

'Check it out.'

I took it from him, looked at it and gasped. 'No way, a driver's license?'

'Yeah. I passed the test a while ago, but they mailed it last week.'

'Chad, that's awesome!' I said and looked up at him. 'Does that mean I'll get to be driven around?'

'Well, yeah… I mean, I can only drive with one passenger and I can't be driving from midnight to 5am… So yeah, seems like you're the one.'

'This is great! Too bad you didn't tell me before, I could help you study and stuff…'

'No, I had to do this myself. My dad helped me with the practical part, but I studied the laws all by myself. And I passed, so I think I did good' he said and smiled.

'I'm really proud of you' I said handing him the license. 'Really.'

'Well, you haven't seen anything yet' he said. He put the license back into his wallet and threw it on the bed. I raised my eyebrow.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

He smirked. 'I thought you'd never ask.'

He got up from the chair and walked up to his desk. He picked up a piece of paper, walked back to the bed and sat next to me. He handed me the paper and laid back on the bed.

'What's this?'

'Just read it.'

I looked at the paper and read it carefully. Chad Bryan Danforth grade blah blah blah English blah blah Sciences blah blah Mathematics blah blah.

'What am I supposed to see here?' I asked and looked at him. He folded his arms under his head and smiled.

'Mathematics part.'

I looked back at the paper and there it was. A B-.

'B-, huh? Impressive' I admitted.

'B- is still a B, right?'

'Technically, yeah, it is.'

'Then, according to our agreement' he said and sat up. 'I was promised a kiss if I received a B from Math. I've received a B, but I haven't gotten a kiss yet.'

I giggled. 'Wow, that was years ago. I completely forgot about that.'

'So did I. But I found this in the morning and I thought I'd let you know you haven't kept your promise' he said and smiled.

'Oh yeah? And what if I don't keep it?' I asked jokingly.

'Look, I don't want to get lawyers involved or anything. I thought we could solve this ourselves' he replied.

'And what if we don't?'

'Well, then I'll see you in court' he joked. I laughed and looked down at the paper.

'You really want that kiss, don't you?'

'Yes, I do. Especially because I deserve it. And because you owe it to me.'

'Okay then' I said and looked at him. 'Come here.'

He grinned, leaned in and I kissed him as passionately as my kissing skills let me. However, with a guy as experienced as Chad, I had nothing to worry about. He shifted a little closer to me and rested his hand on my knee. And then he surprised me, because his lips parted and I felt his tongue against my own lips. I was about to open mine, when suddenly the door opened and Mr. Danforth peaked in. We pulled away and looked at him.

'Oh, oh… I'm sorry' he said and looked away from us. Chad moved away from me and I looked down. Chad cleared his throat.

'No, it's okay Dad… What's up?' he asked. It was obvious Mr. Danforth knew he interrupted us, but we all decided to pretend nothing ever happened. Chad's father looked at us again.

'Nothing really, just that… Taylor, your parents are home. They just arrived and they asked me to tell you they want to see you now.'

'Okay, thank you, Mr. Danforth. Could you maybe tell them I'll be right there?' I asked. Mr. Danforth nodded his head and smiled.

'Of course, no problem. I'll do that. Oh, and once again, I'm sorry' he said to Chad and closed the door. Chad sighed and we looked at each other. It was really hard to hold back laughter and we couldn't help it.

'Well, that was awkward' Chad said and rubbed the back of his head. I giggled.

'Hasn't he ever walked in on you like that?'

'He has… But it's different with you. Plus, I always tell him when I have a girlfriend… He keeps that in mind and he tries not to do that… He's probably really surprised now.'

'Probably…' I said and giggled again. Chad sighed and smiled.

'I just hope he doesn't tell my mom… He shouldn't, but you never know.'

'Do you think he's gonna ask you about it?' I asked and got up from his bed. I walked up to his trophy shelf to take a better look at them.

'He might.'

'What are you gonna tell him?'

'That you're now my girlfriend and that's why we were kissing.'

'And what is he going to say?' I asked and turned to him. Chad smiled and got up.

'He's going to be proud. Like really proud' he replied and walked up to me. I giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

'Hopefully. Now let's go downstairs, I wanna say hi to my parents.'

We walked downstairs and walked out of Chad's house. I saw my parents standing in front of the house with their luggage. I ran up to them, leaving Chad standing by his door.

'Hey Mom! Hey Dad!' I said and ran into my mother's open arms. She hugged me.

'Hey Tay! Where have you been? And where is your sister?' she asked. I pulled away and looked at her.

'Well, if she's not home, she's at the doctor's… She had an appointment today.'

'Oh, that's right. I completely forgot. Okay, give your father the keys, because he once again forgot his at home before we left' she said and looked at Dad. I giggled, while my dad just shook his head.

'Don't make it sound like it happens all the time, Deb' he said and looked at me. 'Give the keys to your mother, I don't wanna lose them!'

'I missed you too, Daddy' I said and handed my mom the keys. She laughed at us and went into the house, leaving the suitcases outside. My father looked down at them.

'And who the heck is supposed to carry this in, huh?' he called after Mom. Mr. Danforth laughed and walked up to the fence.

'Hello, neighbor' he greeted. Dad walked up to the fence and shook his hand.

'How you doin', Mike?'

'Great. This place is heaven compared to New York; it's so calm and quiet. Perfect place for a short break before going back to work. And what's up with you, coach?'

'Ah, you know… same old stuff. Except now I got a pregnant daughter and a son in college… Now I just need to get rid of this one' my dad said jokingly and pointed at me. I shook my head and Mr. Danforth chuckled.

'Oh come on, Taylor is an angel. I wonder what's that like. You should try having a rebellious teenage son and a screaming baby.'

'All I have now is a the calm Taylor and a rebellious pregnant daughter, who's about to have a screaming baby. I think I win… or lose. Can't tell' my dad said and dramatically looked down. Mr. Danforth and I laughed.

'Tell you what' Chad's father said and patted my dad on the shoulder. 'Carla and I would love to have you guys over for a dinner this week. You know, I'm leaving next Monday and that's the only chance to catch up.'

'Hmmm… Sure, why not. We don't have anything planned. I'll talk to Debra and she'll let you guys know.'

Mr. Danforth smiled. 'Great.'

I looked at Chad, who put his hands into his pockets and slowly walked up to the fence. My father smiled at him.

'So, Chad… Did you get some rest? Are you ready to kick some butt this season?' he asked. Chad chuckled and leaned against the fence.

'You know it, coach. The championship is ours.'

'Now, that's the spirit!' my father said and looked at me. 'Come on Tay, let's go home. Let's give those guys a break.'

He shook Mr. Danforth's hand once again and walked up to the suitcases. I took one last look at Chad before going into the house. My dad followed me in, dropped the suitcases on the floor and closed the door.

'Taylor, have you eaten any lunch?' my mom asked and walked into the hall. I shook my head.

'No, not yet…'

'Oh dear! You must be starving! I'll fix something for you right now!' she said and headed towards the kitchen. My dad scoffed.

'I've been on a plane for four and a half hours, I had no breakfast and all I ate on the plane was a bagel and she still doesn't ask if I'm hungry' he complained. I laughed.

'It's okay Daddy, knowing Mom, she'll make enough food for the whole street, so I'll share with you.'

'Thanks, baby' he said and kissed my forehead. We both made our way to the kitchen and sat at the table.

'So, how was everything around here while we were gone?' Mom asked as she searched through the refrigerator. I shrugged.

'Normal, I guess. Nothing really happened.'

'Did you keep an eye on Destiny?' my father asked. 'Did you make sure she doesn't bring that "excuse-for-a-man" boyfriend here?'

'James' my mom said seriously and gave him a look. Dad just shrugged.

'I don't care. As long as she lives under my roof, I don't want to see her around him.'

'What are you going to do when the baby comes?' Mom asked. 'Will you forbid a man to see his child?'

'I really doubt he'll even want to see it in the first place.'

I looked down at the table. My dad was serious when he said all that. He didn't like the way Jerome treated Destiny when she told him she was pregnant… He didn't like Jerome at all. And to be honest, none of us did. However, my father was the only one who couldn't pretend to like him just for the sake of Destiny's happiness.

My father and I didn't have a lot of things in common, but we were really alike. We both spoke our minds, we both hated people who hurt our loved ones and we both were more critical about things than others were. Back then I was still a child it wasn't that evident, but now it scares me to realize how much I resemble him. It has both good and bad sides, of course.

'What did you do those two weeks?' Dad asked. I looked at him.

'Nothing unusual… We went to the movies, we hung out on the beach, at the park…'

'We, meaning who?' he asked and put a grape in his mouth.

'Me, Gaby… Troy and Chad' I explained. My father raised his eyebrows.

'Danforth, really? Since when are you guys friends?'

'James, they were always friends' Mom said. Dad nodded his head.

'Yeah, but… Didn't you dislike him or something?'

'I did' I admitted. 'But that was when we were kids and he was childish. Now he's more serious.'

'Yeah, yeah. That's what you think. He might be 17 or whatever, but he's still a kid. Teenage boys are the most dangerous. They seem grown up, but in reality they're still kids. And they only want one thing' he warned me. 'Just ask your mother.'

I looked over at Mom, who rolled her eyes and smiled at me. You see, my parents had Destiny when they were about my age. They never hid the fact that it was really hard for them and my father used any occasion to bring that up and warn us about the dangers of what he called "irresponsible fooling around".

'Are you telling her to stay away from guys like you?' Mom asked jokingly. Dad put another grape in his mouth and nodded his head.

'Yup. I was a dumb kid. And I did stupid things. I had to suffer the consequences and grow up a little faster than most of my friends' he told me. 'While most of them were out partying, I was home changing diapers and studying at the same time. '

'Poor thing' Mom teased. 'It must have been really hard for _you_.'

I giggled and Dad looked at her. 'Hey! I did stuff too! I finished college, got a job, we had our own apartment. I worked really hard for all that. I wanted you guys to live good.'

'I know, honey. Don't worry' Mom said and kissed him on the cheek. I smiled at them.

'Hey, so it wasn't so bad?' I pointed out. Dad shook his head.

'No, it _didn't turn out_ so bad. But it wasn't easy, okay? There was a lot of struggle before you were born. Just ask your sister how she liked going to class with your mother. We didn't have money for a baby sitter, grandma was working. Don't think it's easy, because it's not.'

'Okay daddy, I'll keep that in mind' I told him.

'Yes. And you should also remember how it should be. First of all, you finish high school. Then you go to college. Then you finish college. Then you get a job, okay? Forget guys, job's a priority. Then, when you get a respectable job, you get a place to live. Once you do that, you can think of getting married. _Then_, once you're married, you have kids, okay? Do you understand? Not the other way around. Don't try to shuffle those things.'

I smiled. 'Okay, I get it.'

'Good' my dad nodded and looked at Mom. 'Are we ever gonna eat? I'm starving.'

'Calm down, the meat needs to defreeze first. In the meantime, you can peel the potatoes' Mom said and put a knife and four potatoes in front of him. Dad sighed and did as she told him.

'By the way, the Danforths are inviting us for dinner this week. I said we'd come, but you should better call Carla to confirm it' my father said. Mom leaned against the counter.

'Okay, I'll do that later. She's probably busy; they're probably eating lunch now.'

'Yeah' Dad mumbled. 'Some people get to eat on time.'

Mom laughed and gently slapped the back of his head, which made me laugh.

We heard the front door open and shut.

'Hey guys, guys, guys!' Destiny called and ran into the kitchen. She was really excited.

'Hey honey!' Mom greeted her and hugged her. Dad looked up.

'I hope you're this happy because you found some free food on your way here' he said jokingly. Des rolled her eyes and showed him a piece of paper.

'Chill Pops and take a look at your grandson!' she squealed. Dad's eyes widened.

'Excuse me?'

'It's a boy, guys! I'm gonna have a son!' she squealed. Mom and I gasped.

'Sweetheart, that's great!' Mom said and hugged her once again. I got up and joined their hug. My father took a look at the sonogram picture and stared at it in silence. Mom and I let Destiny go. She put her arms around Dad's neck and peeked over his shoulder.

'What's wrong?' she asked. He shook his head.

'Nothing. I just hope you know what you're doing. You've gone so far and you can't screw it up, okay?'

'I know, Daddy. I won't. I'll try my best' she assured. Dad pulled her head closer and kissed her forehead.

'I'm proud of you… As proud as a father of a girl who's about to have a child with an ex-convict can be. But I am proud and really happy for you.'

Destiny smiled and hugged him. 'Look, that's his head. And those are his arms and legs' she explained pointing at the picture. I took it away from Dad and Mom and I took a closer look at it.

'That's so cool' I said in amazement. Destiny gave Dad a kiss on the cheek and let him go.

'I know, right? This is awesome but I can't wait to finally hold him!' she said and smiled dreamily. Mom laughed and pulled her into another hug.

* * *

><p>I walked out of the bathroom quietly and headed to my room. However, I stopped at Destiny's room, because her door was opened. She was making her bed. I knocked on the door frame and she turned to me.<p>

'What, can't sleep again? Still seeing monsters?' she asked jokingly. I rolled my eyes.

'I wasn't, but thanks to you, now I will. I just came to say goodnight.'

'Why?'

'I don't know… Just to do so' I said and shrugged. My sister giggled and got back to making her bed.

'You wanna talk about something?' she asked.

'No, not really… I don't know why, but I just wanted to say… Look, Destiny. I'm here for you.'

She put her pillow down and looked at me. 'Huh?'

'I mean… I know it's hard for you, especially because Dad is giving you such a hard time about Jerome and stuff… And I know it's going to be hard for you raising a baby…. But I wanted to let you know that I'm here. If you need anything.'

She smiled. 'That's nice.'

'I know that I'm just a teenager and I'll probably be useless, but if you need me to babysit your baby or something… You know, you'll tell me what to do and when I learn, I'm sure I could help you somehow-'

Destiny cut me off by walking up to me and hugging me.

'It's okay, Taylor' she said. 'Don't worry, everything will be fine. I will be okay. And thanks so much.'

'No problem' I said and hugged her back.

'Oh, and I could definitely use some help in the future' she said after pulling away. 'So remember about your promise.'

'Come on, I'll always find some time for my nephew!' I assured. Destiny laughed and walked back to her bed.

'Yeah, that's what you think. But you have a boyfriend and your own life… You won't always feel like staying in with a crying child.'

'Hey, family's always first, right?' I asked. Destiny looked at me and smiled. 'Goodnight, Des.'

'Night, Taylor.'

I spun on my heel and I was about to leave, when Destiny stopped me.

'Taylor, wait!' she said. I turned to her. 'Come here!'

I walked up to her, she grabbed my hand and put it on her tummy. I gave her a confused look.

'What is going o-'

'Shhhh' she shushed me down. 'Just be quiet.'

I looked down at my hand and felt something moving gently underneath it. I looked at Destiny's face.

'Is he…?'

'Yup!' she said and smiled. I gasped and looked back at my hand. I felt a light kick.

'This is so weird' I said and felt my eyes tear up. Destiny giggled.

'I know, right?'

I laughed and wiped my tears away. That was my first ever contact with my nephew and I have loved him ever since.

Taylor M.


	26. Chapter 26

**(yeah it's late explanation at the end.)**

* * *

><p>I was sitting in the dining room and watching my mom run around the kitchen. She was going back and forth to the oven, checking up on her brownies. I sighed. She was only freaking out because we were going over to the Danforths' house for a dinner and she wanted her brownies to be perfect. I didn't even get what the big deal was – they were our friends. It's not like they would judge us because the brownies weren't symmetrically cut or something.<p>

'Are you ready?' Dad asked when he walked into the kitchen. He was fixing his tie, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. Mom looked at him.

'Yes, I'm just waiting for the brownies to be done' she answered. I groaned in frustration.

'Mom, they are done. They've been ready for like 10 minutes now' I said. My mother gave me a disapproving look.

'Taylor, be patient. A few minutes and they'll be ready. I don't want to put raw brownies on other people's table. Can you image how embarrassing that would be?' she said with horror and walked back to the oven. I sighed and my father chuckled.

'Your mother's right, Tay' he said, winking at me. 'That would be awful.'

'Exactly!' Mom added. 'The Danforths are classy people; we can't turn out to be savages!'

I giggled when my dad rolled his eyes jokingly. My mom had her moments of overreacting and the only thing we could do was let her deal with it her way.

'Hey people' Destiny said as she walked into the room. 'Are we going or what?'

'We're waiting for the brownies' I explained with fake excitement. My sister shook her head and looked at Mom.

'I've spent half day trying to find some decent clothes to fit in and then I spent the other half squeezing into them… and now you're making me wait?' she asked. Mom waved her hand.

'Just a moment. Ugh, you are all so impatient. Just like your father.'

Dad raised his eyebrows. 'Excuse me?'

'Yeah, you heard me. They seem to have taken all the negative characteristics from you. Now fix this tie or just take it off, because you look sloppy' she said. And with that she left the room. My father stood there for a moment, a little shocked. Destiny patted his shoulder.

'It's okay, Pops. Happens every month. You should have gotten used to it over the years' she said and fixed his tie. Dad slowly nodded his head.

'I thought I was… But your mother never fails to surprise me..' he said quietly. Destiny straightened out his tie, stepped back and looked at him.

'Hmm… Taylor, come here.'

I got up from the chair and stood next to her. 'What?'

'Tie on or off?' she asked. I looked at Dad.

'Hmm.. well it does make him look all stiff and serious-' I started, but she didn't even let me finish. She grabbed Dad's tie, loosened it up and took it off. She threw it over to me and fixed his collar. Then she stepped back and took another look at him.

'Better now?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, he looks laid back… and a lot younger' I admitted.

'I know, right? This is way better; he's wearing a shirt, so it's not too laid back, but also not too formal. It's just right.'

Our father started at us in silence. He wasn't sure what we were doing, but he seemed to trust our opinion.

'I'm startin' to miss Tony…' he said. 'This house has become a lot more… feminine.'

Destiny and I laughed.

'It's okay Daddy, soon you'll have another man around here' Destiny smiled and rubbed her belly. Dad smiled and was about to say something, when Mom stormed into the room.

'Why aren't you guys paying any attention to my brownies?' she demanded to know. We all stared at her in silence, even though each of us wanted to say they were ready two hours ago.

'I can't rely on any of you, can I?' she rhetorically questioned and turned the oven off. We watched her put the mitts on and take out the brownies. 'Oh, I think they might have burned a little.'

I was about to scream in frustration, but my dad nudged me gently and walked up to Mom.

'No, they're just fine, baby. Look, only this one is a bit burnt. The rest is fine' he assured. She smiled.

'You're right. Now we just need to wait a moment for them to cool.'

I slapped my forehead and sat down at the table. I was slowly getting sick of all of this, but I knew my Mother did get weird once a month and I kept telling myself it was normal. Instead of saying something that could upset her, I rested my head on the table.

'Taylor, honey, are you okay?' she asked. I kept my head on the table.

'Yes, perfectly fine, Mom' I replied.

'You know what, Deb' Dad started. 'Maybe we can just pack them up and bring them to the Danforths' now. They will cool off while we eat dinner. I mean, if we wait any longer, we will be late.'

'You're right' Mom admitted. 'Get ready, girls. We're leaving in 5 minutes.'

She headed upstairs to finish getting ready. Dad sighed and sat next to me.

'This should be over in a few days…' he said and rubbed my back. I lifted my head up and looked at him.

'It's like she loses all common sense…' I said blankly. Destiny laughed.

'Welcome to our family, Taylor.'

We've been waiting for long enough, so we could wait for Mom for another 5 minutes or so. She finally came downstairs, we packed up the brownies and left the house. My mother proudly carried the brownies to our neighbors' house, while we just followed her. When we were all at the doorstep, Dad rang the doorbell.

'Hello' Ms. Rossi greeted us with a smile when she opened the door. We all said our "hellos" and "good afternoons" and walked inside the house. Ms. Rossi closed the door and turned to us.

'Let me take this from you, Debra' she said and reached for the brownies. My mom handed her the package and they both headed towards the Danforth kitchen talking about whatever they were talking about. Mr. Danforth came into the hall. He was holding little Charlie, who was wearing an adorable green onesie.

'Charlie look, we have guests' he said. Destiny turned to him, saw little Charlie and literally lost her mind.

'Awwwww, look at you!' she squealed and tickled Charlie's foot. 'You are so adorable!'

My dad looked at the baby in his friend's arms and smiled. 'So that's the 3rd Danforth, huh?'

'Yeah, that's Charles' Mr. Danforth said and looked down at Charlie with a proud smile on his face. 'I think I might have a future member of your team, coach.'

My father laughed. 'That's for sure. Especially if he's as talented as Chad. Too bad I need to wait so long for another Danforth on my team.'

'Eh, won't be that long! Let him learn how to walk and he's yours' Mr. Danforth said jokingly and my dad chuckled. He gently stroked Charlie's hand with his finger.

'He's so cute!' Destiny kept exciting over Charlie. He kept looking at her, probably wondering what the weird lady with a big belly wanted from him.

'Would you want to hold him?' Mr. Danforth asked. Destiny nodded her head and carefully took Charlie from his father. Mr. Danforth straightened his back and smiled.

'I'm leaving you in good hands, buddy' he said to Charlie and then looked at my dad. 'Shall we move on to the living room?'

'Yeah, let's go' Dad replied and they headed to the living room, leaving Charlie, Destiny and me in the hall. I looked at my sister.

'Isn't he adorable?'

'He is' she said and looked down at Charlie, who clearly didn't mind Destiny holding him. She always had a way of dealing with kids.

Chad walked down the stairs and smiled when he saw us. 'Hey guys.'

'Hey Fuzzy' my sister said. 'Cute brother you got here.'

Chad chuckled and stood in front of us. 'Thanks I guess… But seriously, the compliments should be going to my parents…'

My sister and I giggled. Suddenly Mr. Danforth walked into the hall.

'Listen' he told Chad. 'If you don't want your mother to find out before you're ready to tell her, you kids better go hang out where she can see you.'

Destiny gasped. 'Wait, you know too?' she asked in shock. Mr. Danforth wasn't sure what she meant at first, but nodded his head a moment later. 'Don't you also think they should tell?'

Chad and I looked away from them. Wow, leave it to my sister to make everything uncomfortable.

'Yeah, I do' Mr. Danforth admitted. 'But it's up to them. And if they wanna keep a secret, they better act like there's no secret at all.'

He smiled at us and headed to the dining room. The three of us, plus Charlie on Destiny's arms, followed him.

The dinner passed in peace, meaning our parents and Destiny got engaged in the conversation and Chad and I were quiet for 90% of the time. Rule number one: don't speak unless you're spoken too. Besides, I was glad because I really didn't have to say anything.

It kind of made me feel awkward that Chad's father knew about us being together and I wasn't completely sure why. At first I thought it was because he caught us kissing, but it wasn't it. Mr. Danforth was a really cool guy and he stayed out of Chad's business. He wouldn't bring it up ever again. I was just happy Ms Rossi wasn't the one who walked in on us; if she saw her son pushing his tongue in my mouth, we both wouldn't be able to look at each other for some time.

'So, when are you leaving, Michael?' my father asked Mr. Danforth. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at everybody.

'This Friday' Chad's dad replied. He grabbed the bottle of coke and poured himself some.

'That's too bad' Dad said. 'You just arrived and you have to go back already?'

'Yeah, I've got a lot to take care of. The job's demanding… I'm happy I could get away for two weeks at least. And I hate to leave Carla with everything… At least this guy will be in charge' he said and pointed at Chad, who was sitting across from me.

'Even though we both know that's a bad idea' Chad said and everyone laughed. Mr. Danforth nodded his head.

'Not unless you suck it up and become more responsible, son' he said and winked at his son. Everyone looked at him, but Chad just nodded his head.

'I'll do my best.'

'Now that's my boy' Mr. Danforth said proudly. The adults went back to their conversation, while Chad and I locked eyes. He nodded his head to the side as if he wanted to ask if we should leave. I shrugged my shoulders. Chad nodded and cleared his throat.

'Um… Can Taylor and I be excused?' he asked. My eyes widened. This was it. They were going to ask why and we would have to tell them. I hoped Chad had a good lie in his sleeve because I went speechless.

'Umm…' Mr. Danforth started and he looked at everyone at the table. They all had confused looks on their faces, but Mr. Danforth smiled. 'Yeah, of course. There's no point you guys sit here and listen to our boring conversations. Go on.'

I glanced at my parents, who both slowly nodded their heads. Chad and I got up from our seats and walked out of the dining room. He lead me to the hall.

'What was that?' I whispered once we far enough from the dining room. 'They could have started asking questions. And I don't want to lie to them.'

'I knew my dad would save the situation' Chad said and smiled. 'And he did, so you have nothing to worry about. Come on, let's go outside.'

'Why? Can't we just stay here?'

'We can, but our parents are here also' he pointed out. I nodded my head and walked outside of the house. Chad followed me.

'So, why did you excuse us?' I asked once we were outside. He closed the door and put his hands in his pockets.

'I don't know… I guess I just wanted to be alone with you' he said and smiled. I blushed and looked away from him.

'Okay then, we're alone… What now?'

He looked around and then started walking towards my house. 'Let's go sit on your porch. They won't see us there.'

I stared at him for a moment before following him. I realized I needed to learn how to control myself. Otherwise I'd do anything he told me to.

We walked through the gate between our yards and sat down on the porch steps. Chad looked at me.

'You look nice, Tay' he said and smiled at me. I blushed again and looked down at my blue dress. Suddenly I was glad my mom made me dress up that day.

'Thanks… You also look good.' It was true, I rarely had a chance of seeing Chad in a button up shirt. He chuckled and looked down.

'Ah yeah, well my mother insisted I wore something… "appropriate". So here I am. To be honest it's not my thing, but as long as you like it-'

'I love it' I cut him off. He looked at me and smiled.

We sat in silence, just looking at the street. Sometimes some alone time with Chad was all I needed. We talked about everything or didn't say anything. It was perfect either way.

'Tay?' he said suddenly. I looked at him.

'Yeah?'

'You know… I was planning on telling my mom about us…'

'Really?'

'Yeah' he said and leaned on his elbows on the step behind him. 'She's been saying what a good girl you are and that you've got a good influence on me and stuff… She'd probably be happy if I told her the truth.'

'So why don't you?' I asked and leaned closer to him. He shrugged.

'I don't know… It's my mom… It's weird… I don't even know how to start the conversation. I wish she just asked about it herself. Then I could just be like "yeah, we're dating". Just like I did with my dad…'

'Oh yeah, what did he say anyways?'

'He just walked up to me when I was washing the dishes… And he was like "so, you and Taylor, huh?" and I just said "yeah". And that's it. He didn't ask anything' he told me and looked into my eyes. I giggled.

'So that's how men talk, huh?' I asked jokingly. He chuckled.

'Yeah, that's what it's like… And with my mom it would be different' he said and winced at the thought. 'You know, she'd ask all those weird questions… And she'd make everything all awkward for us…'

I laughed and stroked his cheek. 'Hey, don't worry yet. Maybe it won't be that bad.'

'Yeah, probably' he said and smirked. 'I think you could inspire me by telling _your_ parents about us.'

I leaned back and sighed. 'It's not that easy… and no, it's not the same.'

Chad laughed. 'It's the same thing.'

'No, it's not. I mean, I could tell my mom… She likes you and she'd probably have nothing against it… But you know my dad.'

'Yeah' he sighed. 'I know how it is.'

'I mean, I don't want you to suffer because of that. He might give you a hard time-'

'I don't mind' he cut me off and looked into my eyes again. 'As long as he lets you see me, it's okay.'

I smiled and shook my head. 'You'll be begging me to break up with you once he starts torturing you.'

'Oh, come on' Chad smiled. 'He's been torturing me for 2 years already. I can handle a few more years.'

'A few more years? How about an eternity?' I asked jokingly. He chuckled.

'Hey, anything for you.'

I smiled, leaned in and pecked him on the lips. 'Is it too late for a good morning kiss?'

'Well, it is like 7PM already… But no, it's never too late for a good morning kiss. Especially when it's the first kiss that day' he said and smiled.

'Well then, how about a second kiss?'

'I'm already planning the fifth one' he said with a smirk. I giggled and started leaning in, but I got distracted. I looked up and saw Mrs. Brown, our neighbor, pulling up in front of her house. I lightly pushed Chad away. He noticed Mrs. Brown and cleared his throat.

'Good afternoon, Mrs. Brown' Chad greeted when she got out of her car. She looked at us and smiled.

'Good afternoon, kids. How are you?'

'Fine' we both replied. Mrs. Brown opened the trunk and took two heavy looking bags out. She closed the trunk and struggled to pick them up.

'Do you need help, ma'am?' Chad asked and ran towards her to help. He didn't even give her a chance to say yes; he just picked them up and started carrying the bags to her doorstep.

'Thank you, Chad.' She smiled and looked at me. 'Such a nice, sweet boy.'

'Yes. He is.'

The dinner ended at 8PM. We said our goodbyes and left. My parents didn't ask why Chad and I were gone for so long or what we were doing, but I sort of wished they did. Chad was right; telling them would be so much easier if they just asked about it.

The next day was the last day of summer. The last day of freedom. We'd soon have to go back to responsibilities, such as homework and studying. We didn't want to let it go just yet. Instead of staying at home and preparing for the next day, Chad, Gaby, Troy and I decided to go to the school yard… Well, the guys decided they'd play basketball while Gaby and I had no better idea so we chose to watch them.

'Is it weird I'm excited for school tomorrow?' Gaby asked once we got comfortable on the tribune. I shrugged.

'I don't know… Depends what you mean by that.'

'By excited I mean I'm happy to finally see our friends… to sit in those chairs again… Hell, I'm even happy to finally see the teachers.'

I laughed and shook my head. 'Normal people would say it's weird… But I'll be honest with you… I sort of missed it too.'

'Right? There's just something about that building… I don't know, it's special.'

'Maybe they just brainwashed us to think that…' I said and we both laughed.

'I don't know Tay, all I know is that soon I will regret missing it. Junior year! We won't have time for anything! I mean we need to be preparing for the senior year, start looking for colleges' Gaby started freaking out. I rolled my eyes.

'Calm down, girl. We still have time. And you already know where you're going. Columbia, isn't it?'

'Yeah' she nodded her head. 'But you know, anything can happen. I want to stay updated in case they change something about enrollment or whatever.'

'You know, most people leave it until the senior year' I said. Gaby gave me a shocked look.

'That's a dumb thing to do! I mean, who does that?'

'Those two for example' I said and pointed at our boyfriends running around the court. Gaby sighed.

'You're right. We gotta talk some sense into them. Otherwise, they'll wake up at the graduation with no plans for the future.'

'They don't have to plan anything yet… Let them have some time to enjoy themselves before they start worrying.'

Gaby gave me a surprised look. 'Um, Taylor? Is that you? Because you don't sound like Taylor at all. Don't you have it all figured out yet?'

'I did… I thought I did…. but now I don't know what I want' I admitted. 'I want to do law… economics… politics. But when I think about it, only law and economics can get me a steady future.'

'Hey, don't worry' Gaby said. 'At least you got something planned.'

'No, I don't have anything planned… I don't even know where I want to go after high school.'

'Didn't you plan Stanford or Yale?'

'Yeah, I did… but I thought about it and I realized they're both awfully far away. I'd be away from my family, my friends…'

'Oh, Tay! Then come to Columbia with me!' she suggested. I looked at her.

'And study what?'

'Whatever you choose! You still have time to think it through. When you have the university figured out, you're half way done.'

'You think?'

'Yeah! Come on, how awesome would it be? We could live together and stuff! We wouldn't be alone in a huge city; we'd have each other!' she said excitedly. I smiled.

'Well, when you put it like that…'

'Is that a yes?'

'I still have to think about it…. But most probably, yeah.'

'Yaay!' Gaby squealed and hugged me. I laughed and hugged her back.

'You guys okay?' Chad called from the court.

'Yeah!' I yelled back. 'Don't worry, everything is fine!'

'Okay!' he replied, smiled and got back to shooting hoops. Gaby nudged me gently.

'Did you tell your parents yet?'

'No, not yet.'

'How come?'

'I just didn't have the opportunity to… Plus, I don't know how to tell them.'

'How long are you going to keep that a secret?' she asked. I shrugged.

'I don't know. Not for long, because I'm getting tired of hiding it.'

'And what about school?'

'It's still going to be a secret until we decide otherwise… You know, it's Chad Danforth. Every time he starts dating someone, it's a big deal. I just don't want all the attention and stuff… I'm just scared a little.'

'Tay' Gaby said and took my hand. 'Don't worry. I told you already; you're dating Chad, not the whole school. Who cares about what the people think.'

'Yeah.' I smiled weakly. 'I guess you're right.'

She smiled at me and rubbed my arm.

'Hey girls' Troy called from the court. We both looked at him. 'You guys wanna join us? It's kind of boring playing one-on-one all day.'

'Sure!' Gaby answered. I shook my head.

'You go. I'm fine here' I said. She nodded and climbed down the tribune. I picked up my book from the seat and continued reading where I left off. A few minutes later I heard someone climbing up towards me. I glanced up and saw Chad coming. I looked back down at my book.

'Wow' he said sitting down next to me. 'I need a break.'

'You okay?' I asked, not taking my eyes off the book.

'Yeah' he replied and reached for his water bottle. He opened it and literally poured half a bottle down his throat. He closed the bottle and put in between his feet. He wiped his mouth with his hand and peeked over my shoulder. 'What you got there?'

'Our new history book' I explained. He winced.

'Oh come on, Tay! We still have one day left. Don't ruin it with this' he begged. I giggled.

'I'm just looking through it.'

'No, you're not. You're reading it and remembering everything, so you can show off in class later on' he said jokingly. I laughed, closed the book and looked at him.

'No, I'm not!'

'You're right. You already know all of that' he said with a smile. 'The truth is I'm jealous of that book.'

I laughed again. 'Oh really?'

'Yeah. It gets to be touched by you, it gets to be in your lap… You look at it all the time. And I'm sitting here all lonely….' he said and made a sad baby face. I giggled and stroked his cheek.

'Poor thing. You want the feel like the book does?' I asked. Chad smiled and nodded his head. I took the book off my lap and put in next to me. 'Come here, I can pretend you're a book.'

Chad laughed, stretched his legs over the seats, lied down and rested his head on my lap. I smiled down at him.

'Are you happy now?' I asked. He grinned.

'Of course. How could not be? I finally have the perfect view' he said with a smirk. I laughed and ran my fingers through his hair.

'I hope you're as interesting as the book. Otherwise I'm returning you.'

'You can't. You don't have the receipt' he said jokingly. I smiled.

'Damn. What now?'

'I guess you'll just have to keep me whether you like it or not' he said and closed his eyes.

'I guess I'll have to' I said as I played with one of his locks. I stared down at his face and realized I wanted everyone to know he was mine and no one else's. But as soon as I thought about that, I got second thoughts.

'Chad?' I said quietly.

'Yeah?'

'I'm scared.'

Chad's eyes shot opened. 'Of what?'

'How are we going to tell everyone at school about us….?'

Chad sighed and sat up. 'Listen Tay' he said and looked at me. 'Don't worry. Everything will be okay. No one's gonna give you a hard time because of me, I promise. I won't let anyone do that, okay?'

'But what if-?'

'No "ifs", Tay' he cut me off. 'You just keep your head up high and pay no attention to annoying people. I know you can do that.'

'I can try… But Chad-?'

'No "buts" either. You just relax. We'll tell them when we're both ready, alright?' he asked and took my hand in his. 'Everything is going to be okay. I promise. Okay?'

I looked into his eyes and nodded my head. 'Okay.'

'Great' he smiled. 'Now, can you smile for me?'

'I don't feel like it.'

'Don't make me make you smile' he warned jokingly. I raised an eyebrow and tried not to smirk.

'What do you mean?'

'Oh, you wanna see?'

'Maybe.'

'Okay then, Tay. You asked for this' he said and buried his face in my neck. I giggled.

'That's not that bad' I pointed out. He looked up at me.

'But I got you to smile' he said grinning. I stared into his eyes for a moment.

'That's true' I whispered and touched his cheek. When he looked down at my lips, I unconsciously licked them. Chad slowly leaned in and I pressed my lips against his. I felt chills running down my spine when he rested his hands on my waist and pulled me a bit closer to him. I moved my hand to the back of his head and tangled my fingers in his hair. His lips slowly parted and I felt his tongue at my bottom lip. I hesitated before opening my lips, but I did it anyway. I didn't want to ruin our perfect moment. I got scared when his tongue brushed lightly against mine; I slightly jerked my head away and I felt Chad smile into the kiss. He tried once again and this time I was a bit more confident. Our tongues brushed against each other gently a few times before I pulled away. He kept his eyes closed and smiled.

'Not bad' he said, referring to my skills. I took a deep breath and giggled.

'I know… But I'll still need some practice' I said and smirked. Chad opened his eyes and smiled dreamily.

'I'm more than willing to help you.'

I laughed and leaned back on the backrest. Chad smiled and once again lied down, resting his head on my lap. My hand travelled to his hair right away and he did not seem to mind that at all.

'You know what, I can't wait until we tell everybody we're together just so I can rub it into people's faces' he said. I giggled.

'Why would you do that?'

'Because I love when people envy me. Besides, I also want to see my exs' faces.'

I sighed. 'I don't think they'll be too happy.'

'That's the point' he said and looked at me. 'Most of them were mean to you. Don't you want to get them back?'

'Well… That doesn't sound like a bad idea, you know. I mean, who cares about most of them. But Paige was a total bitch face…' I said as I twirled some of his hair around my finger. He smiled at me.

'That's the spirit, Tay.'

'I don't want to rub it in anyone's face, though.'

'Why not?'

'Because it will make them mad either way' I said with a smile. Chad laughed.

'It's gonna be so much fun.'

'I know…'

'Hey Danforth!' we heard someone call Chad. We both looked at the court and saw a group of Chad's teammates walking towards us. Chad rapidly sat up and moved away from me.

'Hey guys!' he greeted when they walked up to the tribune. They all had somewhat confused looks on their faces.

'Um… We came to shoot some hoops… You wanna join us or…. are you busy?' one guy, Trevor asked and glanced at me. I rolled my eyes and picked up my book.

'No, of course I'm not' Chad said, kind of nervously He got up and climbed down the tribune. 'Let's go!'

'Alright' Trevor said when he walked up to them.

'Dude, what are you doing with coach's daughter?' Andy whispered to Chad. He knocked the ball out of Andy's hands and walked towards the court.

'Nothing. Now, can we play?' he asked. The guys followed him in silence.

I opened my book and hid my face behind it. That's it. They saw us. The secret was gone. Everyone would find us soon. Was I scared? A little. But then I felt relieved. I mean, those guys could spread rumors at the speed of light. If they told everyone then we wouldn't have to. We could skip the weird and awkward part and just move on to the part where everyone hates on me. Okay, I was freaking out again. All I could do was pretend nothing ever happened and hope Chad could convince the boys nothing was going on between us.

Taylor M.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so this was a short chapter. It was supposed to be longer but I had to decide between making it longer and having you guys get even more angry at me for it being late OR upload it ASAP. So here it is. The next one will be longer, I promise.<strong>

**Now, I know you guys already hate me because I never update on time and I totally understand. I hate it too, but this time it had nothing to do with my laziness. The few last weeks of school were really hard because I had to fix most of my grades etc. I was in no mood to write and I honestly had no time. And the vacation here has started two weeks ago, but I left the same day the school year ended. I traveled 4 countries away with my family to go to seaside and see some of my friends who live there. Yes, I had my computer with me (that was the most important thing to take ;)) but while I was locked up in a room with my family members, including my little cousin, it was impossible to sit down and write anything. I came back yesterday at night and finished this chapter just a minute ago. That's my story.**

**And now - rant time. I get why you guys get angry when I don't update on time, I really do. But what's funny is that when I update I one, maybe two reviews. However, when the chapter is late, I get SIX angry reviews telling me I _"have to update or else"_. I don't know if those are one person or more, but come on. Are you_ only gonna yell at me_ but give me no feedback? :/ And seriously, make accounts so I can message you and let you know why I'm unable to update, because I can't reply to guest reviews. Thanks. **

**I'm sorry about this, but it was in me for a while now and I just had to get it out there. No hard feelings, though, because I love you all and really appreciate your support 3 3 Just try to understand. :)**

**Thanks for reading and yeah I guess don't forget to review if you want to it really does good and motivates me ;)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**


	27. Chapter 27

The infamous sound of my alarm clock woke me up at 7am. Yes, the summer was officially over and it was time to get my butt out of bed and go to school. Can't say I was completely disappointed, but I was slightly discouraged. Mainly because of what happened the previous day. Chad and I basically got caught in an unambiguous situation. I wasn't sure what to think about it, all I knew was that if Chad decided to share the truth with his friends, our secret was no longer safe.

I yawned before crawling out of bed. I followed my usual morning routine and I was fresh, clean and ready to leave at around 7:20, but it was still too early. I decided to check my bag to see whether I had all the necessary things inside, when my cellphone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Chad.

'Hello?' I answered.

'Hey Tay.'

'Oh hey' I said and smiled to myself. 'Isn't it a bit too early for you?'

'Very funny. I'll have you know I just woke up.'

'Aww, poor thing' I teased as I picked up my bag and walked out of my room. 'What's up?'

'I'm calling to ask if we're gonna walk to school together' he explained.

'Yeah, sure. But I think we'll have to split up in front of the entrance… Depending on what you told your friends yesterday' I said while walking down the stairs. Chad sighed.

'We will have to split up, 'cause I didn't tell them the truth. I don't want to talk about this over the phone, so we'll talk later, okay?'

'Sure' I said, a little concerned about his tone. I stopped at the mirror in the hall.

'Cool. Oh, and I was thinking… Are we gonna hang out today, after school?'

'Um, sure. Why not?' I said as I fixed my hair. 'I don't mind watching you play basketball just like I did for the past few weeks.'

Chad chuckled. 'It won't take long, I promise. Afterwards we can go get ice cream, if you wanna. My treat.'

'Count me in. See you in few.'

'See ya.'

I hung up and walked into the kitchen. I saw my mom and my sister sitting at the table.

'Good morning' I greeted.

'Hey honey' my mother smiled at me. Destiny just nodded her head, not taking her eyes of the newspaper. 'I made you some toast.'

'Thanks' I replied and walked up to take a plate for myself.

'Who were you talking to?' Mom asked. I picked up three toasts from the big plate and put them on mine.

'Gabriella' I lied.

'Really? I never knew Gabriella plays basketball after school' she pointed out. I froze. Oh crap, I didn't think it through. Come on Taylor, think of something! But nothing came to my head. I turned to them and saw my mom smiling at me.

'Gabriella, my ass!' Destiny said. 'We're not as stupid as you think, you know.'

I looked down, walked up to the table and sat at it. I knew they knew I lied and I couldn't look at my mom.

'Cut the crap Taylor, and tell Mom the truth. You know you want to' my sister kept trying to convince me. Mom shook her head.

'Okay, Destiny. I think that's enough' she said and turned to me. 'Can you tell me what she's talking about?'

I looked up at them and I didn't know how to start. So what's better than lying, right?

'I don't know, Mom. She's Destiny, she's crazy' I said, trying to joke a little. Destiny shook her head.

'Listen, you can pretend nothing is going on, but you need to tell someone. And Mom's the only one who's not going to give you crap about it!' she cried. That was true. Whenever I wanted an honest opinion, she was the one I'd turn to. She'd never judge my choices or anything, she's just be there for me when I needed it.

'Okay, Destiny. Would you mind leaving us alone?' Mom asked my sister. She nodded her head.

'Fine!' She got up and looked at me. 'Me and my baby want to stay away from you and your lies!' She walked around the table and stopped behind me. She bent over to my ear. 'Seriously, tell her everything. This is your only chance. She might help you out with dad' she whispered and walked out of the kitchen.

'I know she's your daughter' I said and looked at my mother. 'But have you guys ever checked her for some, sub psychotic mental disorders…?' I asked. My mother laughed.

'She's completely fine, trust me. She just wanted me to talk to you, because she thinks you need to talk to someone. So what's going on?'

I looked down at my toasts. 'Umm, you know what Mom… I should probably go to school now… I'm gonna be late' I said and I was about to get up, when my mother grabbed my hand.

'Sit down, Tay' she told me. I did as she requested. 'You still have plenty of time. Now, tell me what's going on.'

I looked down at my breakfast and went speechless for a moment. I had no idea how to start. I wasn't a person who'd say "I'm dating Chad" just like that.

'Okay' my mom said after she realized this was going nowhere. She decided to help me. 'You can start by telling we who you were talking to on the phone just a moment ago, if that helps.'

I sighed and looked up at her. She had a warm smile on her face and I felt like shit for lying to her. I gave up.

'Well, it wasn't Gaby…' I admitted. Mom giggled.

'I know that.'

'It was… It was a boy…' I continued. My mother nodded.

'Okay, go on.'

'Um… well, it was a boy from my school.'

'Do I know him?' she asked. I thought about it for a moment.

'How many boys from my school do you actually know, because I think my answer might give it away' I said. My mother laughed.

'I don't know… Well, there are boys from the team, but I don't know their names. I knew the ones who graduated with Tony, but I don't know the younger ones.'

'Okay, then think of Tony… his good friend… That is probably his best friend…' I gave her clues, only because I wanted her to figure it out herself so I wouldn't have to say it. But Mom wasn't making it any easier.

'I really don't know, Taylor' my mom said shrugging. 'Tony has got a lot of friends.'

'Well, the one that lives next door!' I cried in frustration. My mother raised her eyebrows.

'Wait, you mean… Chad Danforth?' she asked. I nodded and she gasped. 'Okay, but you were only talking on the phone with him, am I right?'

'Umm… You see, I was talking on the phone with him because… We're together… We've been dating for like two months already. Also, he's the one who gave me this for my birthday' I explained as I touched my necklace and waited for my mom to overreact. But she didn't. She just smiled instead.

'That's great, honey! It's funny, because just on Saturday Carla pointed out you two would be great together.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Really?'

'Yes. I've never heard that many compliments about any of my children' Mom said with a laugh. 'And would you believe I told her I doubt you'd treat Chad as anything more than just a friend? The look she gave me! She said she'd seen the way he looks at you and that she's never seen her son look that way at any other girl.'

I looked down and smiled. I guess I had good news for Chad; his mother would take it much better than he expected.

'Why didn't you say anything before?' she asked. I totally ignored the fact she took it so well and just decided to go with it.

'Because I was scared of what Dad might say. I mean, you know how much he doesn't like us dating the boys from the team.'

'Oh, I know. But don't worry about that. Your father adores Chad, I'm sure he won't be upset about it' she assured and rubbed my hand. I looked at her.

'You sure?'

'Well, he might be a little upset at the beginning, but he'll get over it. You know your father.'

'I don't know Mom, I'm scared to tell him. I mean, what if he starts torturing Chad? Or what if he won't let us see each other?'

'Calm down, Tay. He certainly won't forbid you to see him' Mom said seriously. 'You just have to tell him the truth.'

'And what if he gets mad and does something crazy?'

'Then you let me deal with it, okay?' she asked with a smile. I smiled weakly at her.

'Thanks Mom' I said. 'I'll talk to him when I figure out how to tell him.'

'Sure honey, just remember you can't put it away forever.'

'I know.'

'Now, eat your breakfast. I don't want you to go to school hungry.'

I ate my toasts, ran upstairs to wash my teeth and was downstairs just on time. I grabbed my bag, said goodbye to my mother and walked out of the house, just to see Chad waiting at the mailbox.

'You're late' he said when I walked up to him.

'Now you know how I feel when I have to wait for you every time' I told him.

'Oh come on! I'm not late anymore. When was the last time I was?'

'Oh, I don't know?' I asked sarcastically. 'How about yesterday?'

'That was because my mother made me watch Charlie while she took a shower!' he defended himself. 'But before that I wasn't late for like… Three weeks.'

'Hmm, good point' I said and smiled. 'Good morning.'

'Morning, Tay' he said, smiled and kissed my cheek. He threw his gym bag over his shoulder and grabbed my hand. I grinned at that and we started walking.

'Do you have at least one notebook in there?' I asked him. Chad shrugged.

'No, what for? As if we're gonna do anything!' he said and looked at me. 'Wait, don't tell me you took everything for today?'

'I did' I admitted. 'Only to leave it in my locker. You know, so I don't have to carry it all at once.'

'Oh, that's actually smart' he said. I giggled.

'Well, smart is what I do.'

Chad laughed. 'You seem to be in a good mood, what's up?'

'Nothing… Although I gotta tell you something.'

'Okay, shoot.'

'Chad, I… I told my mom about us' I stammered out. He gave me a surprised look.

'And? What did she say?'

'She was surprised… And happy.'

'Well, why wouldn't she be?' Chad asked and touched his chest with his other hand. 'After all, you're dating _me_.'

'Shut up!' I giggled. 'She said your mom told her we'd look good together.'

'Did she really?'

'Yeah. I was kinda surprised to hear that too, but it turns out she likes the idea of us together' I said with a smile. Chad shrugged.

'Um, I don't know, Tay. Maybe she was just pretending… Who knows what she really thinks' he said doubtfully. I nudged him with my elbow.

'Don't say that! Plus, why would she do that anyways?'

'I don't know. It's my mom, she's weird sometimes…'

'Stop worrying. You have to suck it up and tell her!' I said seriously. 'I mean, if I could do it, you can do it as well.'

'It's not the same, Tay… My mom's different than yours.'

'How about you focus on the fact she's better than my dad and you're not the one who will have to talk to _him_?'

'When you put it like that… Alright, alright. I'll talk to her' he promised. 'Funny you're pushing me to do it, though. I mean, you're the one who's scared of everyone finding out about us.'

'I know. However, we can't keep it a secret forever. And I also think our parents should know before everyone else… Oh yeah! What did you tell your friends yesterday' I asked and looked at him. Chad bit his lip and looked at the school building, which we were slowly approaching.

'I didn't tell them the truth.'

'Okay, but what did you actually tell them? Because that thing yesterday was pretty obvious.'

'Um… It's embarrassing, Tay' he said and looked down. I raised my eyebrows.

'What do you mean?'

'It's that… I told them…' he stuttered and we stopped walking. 'I told them I was only hitting on you.'

'Okay, and what's so embarrassing about that?'

Chad sighed. 'They laughed at me and said it's impossible to hit on you. And that since that whole Derrick thing, no one has been able to approach you without being rejected… And that no one can get you to date them, especially me. And that I'm too stupid for you and you're way smarter than the other girls and that you won't fall for my stupid pick-up lines and that I should just give up, because you'd probably just laugh in my face… And stuff' he stammered out and looked up at me. I smiled at him.

'And that's why you're upset?'

'Yeah! I mean, it's not even that you're really my girlfriend and that I managed to get you to go out with me. But all they said made me realize it's kind of true… and like… I don't even get why you agreed to be my girlfriend.'

'No, no!' I said and stepped up closer to him. 'What your friends… and obviously you also don't understand is that I like you the way you are. What I mean by that, I like your corny little flirting techniques, I love your jokes and I definitely don't think you're stupid. You have nothing to worry about. If it makes you feel any better, I'd take you over those guys any day' I said and smiled at him. Chad chuckled.

'I don't know if it does, because I'm sure every girl would rather date a goat instead of those dudes' he said jokingly and I laughed. 'But it sure helped. Thanks, Tay. Really.'

'No problem' I said and pecked him on the lips. 'Now, can we go to school? I don't wanna be late on the first day.'

'True. Plus, we don't want anyone to think I'm bad influence on you' Chad said with a smirk. I laughed and we started walking towards the school. 'And hey, is it true a few of them tried asking you out?'

I thought about it. 'Well, I had a few guys ask me what I was doing after class… But I just told them I had other plans.'

'Was it before we started dating or after?'

'I don't know… Before and after. But I seriously wasn't interested. And it's not even about Derrick breaking my heart… I just thought they had nothing to offer' I admitted. Chad chuckled.

'Oh come on, like I do!'

I giggled. 'Give yourself some credit, Danforth. You've got plenty to offer.'

'Like what?'

'Well… You always manage to cheer me up. I think that's a great gift.'

'And that's it' he said and looked away. I laughed.

'No, there's much more!' I said and I pecked his cheek. 'I'm sure we will discover it all together.'

'Wow Tay, you can make everything sound fun' he said with a smile and looked at me. I shrugged.

'Well aren't I great?' I asked jokingly.

'Naah, you're slightly above the average, but I wouldn't call it _great_' he joked. I playfully punched his shoulder.

'I'll remember this' I said seriously and stepped away from Chad when I saw his friends talking in front of the entrance. 'There are your buddies. I guess I'll see you later.'

He turned around and sighed when he saw them. 'Yeah, I guess' he said and turned to me. 'See you at lunch?'

'Of course. See ya!' I said and was about to walk away, when Chad grabbed my hand.

'Wait, wait' he whispered. 'What do I tell them? Should I just say I'm still trying to get you to go out with me?'

'Hmm… Yeah. That would be best.'

'Okay' he said and smirked. 'And how am I doing? You know, I need details for the story.'

I giggled. 'Well… Again, give yourself some credit. Tell them I totally rejected you every time you asked me out, but I laughed at your joke once and I let you walk me home after school today.'

'Oh come on, I'm sure I'd do better than that!' he whined. I laughed.

'That's all you can tell them, because that is enough to keep them from asking you questions. Now, go to your friends and I'll go find mine, okay?'

He nodded. 'Okay, Tay.'

'See ya!'

He winked at me before we split up. I really didn't care what Chad's friends were thinking about us, but I didn't want them to think he couldn't have me because no one could have me. I wanted them to think he was _the only one_ who could have me. Besides, I hated to see them tease my boyfriend this way. At that point I knew it'd be best if I just let him tell them the truth, but I also knew that wasn't a good idea. They couldn't find out before Chad told his mother and I told my dad.

I walked into the school and immediately spotted Gabriella with a bunch of our friends talking by the lockers. I greeted them and we all just talked about our summer, even though we spent most of it just hanging out in the group. Then the bell rang and that's when the freedom officially ended. I swear the whole corridor just groaned at the same time.

The periods went by lazily. The teachers talked about our syllabus and everything we'd be doing throughout the year. I couldn't help yawning now and then; it'd take me a few days to get used to waking up this early again. Ugh, Summer just ruins your sleeping schedule, doesn't it?

It was finally time for lunch. I was excited, mainly because I was hungry and couldn't wait to spend some time with Chad. I've passed by him a few times in the corridor between the periods, but we all know that's not enough.

I hurried down the corridor to leave my books in my locker. I didn't want to waste any time there, so I quickly unlocked my locker and unzipped my bag. I didn't even realize someone standing next to me.

A tall, kinda familiar guy cleared his throat. I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows.

'May I help you?' I asked. He leaned on the locker next to mine and smiled.

'Hey Taylor' he said. The longer I stared at him, I realized that he was on the team and that's probably why he knew my name. Or he was stalker, I don't know.

'Umm… Hi…?' I said slowly. I could have recognized his face, but I had completely no idea what his name was. He understood why I stared at him and chuckled nervously.

'I'm Barry' he cleared up. I slowly nodded my head.

'Oh, hi Barry…' I said and reached to my bag to take some books out. Barry stared at me for a moment before speaking.

'I know this might be… weird. Because we never spoke before, but um…' he stuttered. Weird? No way, Sherlock! He rubbed his hands nervously. 'But I was wonderin'…. If you um… If you wanna… Um…. What are you doing today, after school?'

I gave him a confused look, sorta expecting where this was going. 'Why?'

'Because… Um, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to… catch a movie or something… with me?' he stammered out. I looked at him for a second before smiling. The truth is I really wanted to burst out laughing into his face, but that would be rude.

'Really? First Danforth, then you… What, are you guys short on cheerleaders?' I asked sarcastically and put the last book in my locker. Barry chuckled.

'No, it's just that… Danforth is more of a cheerleader guy. And the rest of the guys said he has no chances with you' he replied confidently. I raised my eyebrows.

'Oh really? And why is that?' I demanded to know. The poor guy seemed a little scared at that moment.

'Well, because… you hate him. Don't you?' he asked. I rolled my eyes.

'You know what, you can go back to your friends and tell them that at this point, he has more chances than all of you people combined!' I told him and shut my locker. 'And for the record, I suggest all of you start minding your own business, because you gossip more than the cheerleading squad!'

I spun on my heel and started walking down the corridor, completely disregarding the people who saw what happened and were now staring at me.

'Wait, so that's a no?' Barry called after me. I stopped at turned to him.

'That's a definite no!' I replied and headed towards the cafeteria, leaving Barry dumbfounded in the hall.

I was angry. Foremost, I was annoyed. I wasn't sure what was going on. What did Chad tell them? Or maybe they thought that since I let Chad "hit on me", everyone had a shot. I was confused and annoyed.

I cooled off on my way to the cafeteria and when I was already there, I found Chad sitting at the table with Gaby and Troy. I made my way towards them and literally dropped on the seat. They all looked at me.

'Tay, you alright?' Gaby asked. I shook my head and turned to Chad.

'That's it' I said seriously. 'Today you tell your mom and I'll try telling my dad.'

Chad stared at me with a piece of lettuce hanging from his mouth. I rolled my eyes and handed him a napkin.

'What happened?' Troy asked. I shrugged.

'One of your basketball friends just asked me out' I explained. Chad finished wiping his mouth and gave me a shocked look.

'Excuse me? Who was it?'

'Doesn't matter. The point is, what did you tell them?' I asked.

'I told them exactly what we agreed on in the morning.'

'What did you guys agree on?' Gaby wondered.

'That Chad tried hitting on Taylor for so long that she let him walk her home after school today' Troy cleared up. Chad and I looked at him and he looked down. 'Or something.'

'No, you're right' I said. 'That's exactly what we agreed on. Then why was that Barry dude asking me out?'

'It was Barry?' Chad asked in disbelief. I nodded.

'Yeah, Barry. Why?'

'He's just trying to get me back for Megan' Chad said and looked down. I raised my eyebrows.

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Megan, you know, the cheerleader? Well she left Barry for Chad' Troy explained and Chad gave him an angry look.

'Shut up' Gaby whispered to Troy. I rolled my eyes.

'What's that have to do with me anyway?' I asked Chad. He sighed.

'It's simple. He must have overheard that I was trying to hit on you but didn't succeed, so he went to try his chance. Probably wanted to get me back for what happened with Megan' he explained. I shuddered in disgust.

'See, this is why men are stupid. They think any girl will just go out with them! Just like that! Like don't you people realize we have our own mind and can decide for ourselves?' I complained. Chad looked at me.

'Wait, he asked you out… What did you tell him?' he asked. I scoffed.

'What do you think? Of course I said no! And I might have mentioned that neither him or his friends have a chance with me… but that's irrelevant' I said with an innocent smile. Chad chuckled.

'I'm proud of you' he said and picked up his sandwich.

'What are you gonna do about Barry?' Troy asked Chad. He bit his sandwich and thought about it.

'Hm… I don't know' Chad answered with his mouth full. He swallowed the food and continued. 'Probably kick his ass or something.'

'Why?' Gaby asked.

'Simple: he hit on Taylor and he knew I called dibs on her' he said. I raised my eyebrows.

'Dibs?' I asked with disbelief. Chad looked at me and realized what he said.

'Um… Not like _dibs_ dibs, but um… He broke the bro code! He knew I was going to ask you out and he did what he did' he explained. I sighed and, even though "dibs" really upset me, I decided to let it go. I couldn't blame Chad for losing his temper, especially when some guy just tried to ask me out.

'Whatever you do, don't get into a fight with him' I advised and took my sandwich out of my bag. Chad gave me a confused look.

'Why not?'

'Because you'll show him that you care about what he's doing and he'll try to get you back anyway. But when you ignore him, he's just gonna let it go' I said and unwrapped my sandwich. Gaby nodded.

'Yeah, Tay's right!' she said. 'That's the best thing you can do in this situation.'

'No, it's not' Troy opposed. 'Someone tried asking his girlfriend out, he should tell the guy how he feels about it. I'd do the same if it happened to you!'

'Yeah, except I'm not officially his girlfriend' I pointed out. Troy nodded.

'True, sorry' he said and looked at Chad. 'Just let it go, man.'

'How can I let it go? Taylor being my girlfriend or not, you just don't do that!'

'Alright, but you said it yourself; guy's after you. He'll try to get you back for Megan. There's no point starting a fight with him.'

Chad looked down at his sandwich. 'So what am I supposed to do?'

'Let it go and wait until you guys are ready to announce your relationship to everyone. Then you'll get to see his face and I'm sure you'll feel better' Gaby said with a smile. Chad looked up and nodded his head.

'Alright, okay' he agreed. 'But can I at least kick his ass on the practice?'

'Sure. You can make a good use of your anger. I'm sure my dad will be satisfied' I said and we all laughed.

'So, what is everyone up to after lunch?' Chad asked after a moment of silence.

'Spanish' Gaby and Troy replied at the same time and smiled at each other. Chad jokingly made a barfing sound and I slapped him over the head. We all laughed.

'What do you guys have?' Gaby wondered and let Troy steal a fry off her plate.

'Italian' Chad said, not sounding enthusiastic about it at all.

'How come?' Troy asked. Chad shrugged.

'My mom said it was about time I started learning it. Plus, I hoped I'd get to talk to all the hot girls once we visit Italy' he said. I playfully punched his arm and he laughed. 'That was of course before, when I didn't believe Taylor would ever go out with me' he cleared up. I smiled.

'That's better.'

'And what about you, Tay?' Gaby asked.

'I got French' I said. Chad winced.

'Seriously? Didn't they have anything worse and more complicated?'

'Shut up' I told him and looked at Gaby. 'I've been learning Spanish for so long, so I wanted to try something new. Last year they announced they'd be forming a French group, if enough people applied. Fortunately, they did and I was one of them. So this year we have a French group.'

'Why would you take French?' Chad kept asking. I rolled my eyes.

'So once I get bored of you, I can just travel to France and meet hot Europeans' I said sarcastically. Gaby and Troy laughed, while Chad smirked.

'I should have expected that.'

We continued eating and talking about something, when our table was approached by a few dumbasses from the basketball team. I looked up and was relieved, when I saw there was no Barry among them.

'Yo guys, our table is over there' one of them said. 'You comin' or what?'

Gaby and I exchanged annoyed looks, while Chad and Troy got up. Troy kissed Gaby's cheek and Chad walked up to his friends.

'Sorry for our friends, ladies' he said and turned to us. 'They can be rude sometimes.'

'Yeah' Troy added. 'They don't know what manners are.'

Gaby and I giggled when they walked away.

'Hey, at least we have funny boyfriends' she pointed out. I sighed.

'Yeah… Although that humor can be really annoying.'

'Oh come on, you don't mean that!'

'Hm… True, I love it' I said and we both giggled.

'Were you serious about telling your dad today?' she asked. I shrugged.

'I don't know… I mean, I want to tell him and I probably will as soon as I figure out how to. But telling him today would make everything easier, because we wouldn't have to hide anymore. And we could just make it official.. You know, to everyone.'

'Yeah, exactly! You should tell him, Tay! The sooner the better.'

'I know, I know… Plus, I hate what it's doing to Chad. I don't want his friends to think he's unable to make me fall for him…' I said and pouted. Gaby giggled.

'Awww, you don't want them to make fun of your baby, do you?' she teased. I balled up a napkin and threw it at her, which made her laugh.

'Your fries are getting cold' I pointed out jokingly.

After we finished lunch, Gaby and I made our way towards the language classes. We then went our separate ways. I found my French class and peaked inside. There were around 20 kids already inside, so I searched for a place to sit. I found an empty one next Chelsea, a girl I knew from the Chemistry Club. She was talking to one other girl, who I've recognized as her friend. I walked up to her.

'Hey, is this seat taken?' I asked. She faced me and smiled.

'No, it's not. Come sit with us, Taylor' she said and pointed at the chair. I settled down at the desk and she introduced me to her friend Catherine.

So talked until the teacher walked in. Everyone went silent and I guess they all examined the new teacher, who just moved to our school. I won't lie, I was curious to see how long she'd actually stand the school and the students.

She put her belonging on the teacher's desk and stood in front of the whole class. She was young, maybe a year or two older than my sister. She wore colorful clothes and she looked like a cheerful person in general. She took a deep breath and smiled.

'Hello, my name is Alice Mitchell and I will be your French teacher this year. As you probably know, I'm new around here, so I hope you will cut me some slack' she said and everyone chuckled. It was a good sign.

She introduced us to what we'd be doing all year and we started with the first lesson, which was learning basic phrases. Ms. Mitchell wrote them down on the whiteboard, along some numbers we'd need for saying our age and explained everything while writing. I tried my best at taking notes and listening to everything. People asked questions about the literal translation, because we were all confused by the grammatical structures of sentences. However, our teacher explained everything and soon it was all clear.

When everyone was done copying the phrases from the board, Ms. Mitchell told us to repeat everything after her. She read a phrase and we repeated. When we found a phrase difficult, she read it word by word so that we could get the pronunciation right. I personally found it a bit difficult, however the repeating helped a lot.

Ms. Mitchell smiled and put the marker down. She walked up to the first desk in the left row, which was traditionally empty, and sat on top of it.

'Okay, now that we more less know how to pronounce those things, let's introduce ourselves. You guys know me and I don't know you yet, but I'll introduce myself to show you how we will do this, okay? So we'll say "Hi! My name is blah blah and I'm blah blah years old." Alright?'

Everyone nodded in silence and she smiled.

'Okay, cool. So I start. Salut! Je m'appelle Alice et j'ai 25 ans. Now it's your guys' turn. Who's next?'

Obviously no one said anything. She laughed and shook her head.

'I see everyone's eager to start' she said jokingly. 'Okay, let's go one by one, starting from you' she said and pointed at one guy sitting by himself in the second row.

That's when I realized I've never seen that kid before… At least I didn't remember seeing him around the school. Even though I was sitting far behind him, I could see his face, because he was sitting sideways, meaning his back was against a fall and his body was turned towards the windows. He had short brown hair and he seemed to be an average height. He wore jeans, a T-Shirt and a unbuttoned shirt on top. He looked quite regular, yet there was something mysterious about him… besides his good looks, of course. He was nervously playing with his pen, so I figured it must have been his first day at East High. That would explain why I've never seen him before.

'Um… Okay' he said quietly and cleared his throat. 'Salut. Je m'appelle Scott et j'ai 17 ans.'

I was kinda impressed, because he didn't even stutter. Not like it was anything hard to say, but you'd think people would focus on saying it perfectly and eventually mess it up. But he didn't.

The teacher smiled at him. 'I like your accent, Scott. Have you studied French before?'

'Yes, for five years' he said shyly. She smiled and asked him something in French. He replied and they talked for a short moment. Okay, so now I was even more impressed. I don't know why, but it's weird having a new kid in your class, who stands out on their first day.

'Well done' Ms. Mitchell told him. 'It's always great to have someone who's familiar with the language in class. Okay, so now it's your turn, boys. Let's hear it. And I promise I'll try my best to learn all your names as soon as possible!'

The rest of the period was basically all about us and our struggles to pronounce the two smile phrases. Even I got my chance and messed up a little, however with the teacher's help, I managed to finally say it the way it was supposed to be said. There wasn't a person who said it right, so Ms. Mitchell had to help everyone out. However, she was really cool about it so we weren't that embarrassed to mess up. She encouraged us to try multiple times, which was really hilarious to watch for her and for us also.

The bell rang. I walked out of the class and headed down the corridor, when someone stopped me.

'Um, wait!' I heard them call after me. I turned around and saw that new kid from my French class. I stopped walking and he caught up with me.

'You mean… me?' I asked to make sure. He nodded his head.

'Yeah. Taylor, right?'

'Yeah, and you…?' I said, but I couldn't remember his name. He smiled.

'It's Scott. Scott Lewis' he cleared up and fixed a messenger type of bag on his shoulder. I blushed a little.

'I should have remembered, I'm sorry.'

'No, don't worry about it!' he said with a smile. 'I didn't even expect anyone to remember my face, not to mention my name.'

I giggled. 'Okay then, Scott. What's up?'

'Um, I asked one guy if he knew where I could apply for the school basketball team… I was told I should talk to you.'

'Oh… Well, I'm not really the one who has anything to do with it, but I could help you out with that. Come on' I said and started walking down the corridor. Scott followed me.

'So, what's your connection with the team?' he asked curiously. I shrugged.

'Besides my father being the coach, nothing really' I explained.

'Too bad. I thought I could make at least one friend from there before joining, so I can get a head start' he joked. I smiled.

'Are you good at basketball?' I asked. He nodded his head.

'I like to believe so…'

'Then you have nothing to worry about' I assured. 'Um, I'm no expert, but your French is pretty good. You've learned it before, right?'

'Yeah, you could say so… Before I moved here, I've lived in Canada.'

'Really?'

'Yup. It's sort of a long story, but I've lived here, then when I was 11 my parents decided to move to Canada. We've lived in Toronto, but when I was 13 we moved to Quebec. I had to learn French.'

'How come you moved back?'

'My parents opened a Canadian restaurant here, down the main street.'

'No way!' I gasped. I remember seeing that building when I was out with Chad. We were surprised it was opened, because ever since we remember, it was deserted. I guess someone finally bought it. 'That's so cool. I'll make sure to stop by.'

'Well, I'll make sure to get you a discount' he said with a smile. I giggled.

'Don't get ahead of yourself. You haven't been accepted to the team yet, so you have nothing to thank me for.'

'Yet' he pointed out and I laughed. 'Anyways, have you studied French before?'

'No, it's my first year' I said as I reached for the door handle. Scott saw that, grabbed it before me and opened the door for me. I smiled and we walked into the gym area. 'I've been studying Spanish ever since I started my school experience. I wanted to try something new, you know. I wanted to expand my horizons. Except now I think I chose a hard language and I might regret it later.'

Scott laughed. 'Don't worry, it's only scary at first. When you get the basics, you're able to understand it all.'

'Well, if you say so… Although that didn't really convince me.'

'Just don't give up and give it a chance' he said and smiled at me. I smiled back and lead him into the gym. The guys were running around, basketballs were flying across the room and my father was in between everybody.

'We could go up to my dad, but I believe we don't wanna risk the chance of being hit with the ball' I said and looked at Scott. 'Hopefully he'll see us.'

He nodded and looked around. 'Quite a gym you got here.'

I smiled and saw Chad walking up to us. He had a confused look on his face.

'Hey, Tay. What'cha doin' here?' he asked and examined the boy standing next to me.

'Chad, this is Scott, he's new around here. And Scott, this is Chad… he's on the team' I said, hoping I chose the right way to introduce Chad. They shook hands. 'Um, could you get my dad to come here? We need to talk to him.'

'Yeah, sure' Chad said and ran towards my father. He told him something and pointed at us. Dad nodded his head and walked towards us, leaving Chad on the court.

'Hey Taylor, what's up?' he asked. I looked at Scott and back at him.

'This is Scott and he's interested in joining the team' I explained.

'Really?' my father said sort of doubtfully. He examined the boy standing in front of him. 'Can you play?'

'Yes, sir' Scott replied. 'Otherwise I wouldn't be here.'

My father nodded and turned towards the court. 'Danforth, come here!'

Chad grabbed the ball and ran up to us. 'Yeah, coach?'

Dad looked at Scott. 'Technically, the tryouts are tomorrow… But since you're eager to apply, you can do it today. One on one with Danforth' he said and both of them nodded. My father walked away to a group of guys standing in the middle of the court, watching the whole situation. 'What are you staring at? This is a practice, not a ballet class! Move it!'

The boys grabbed the basketballs and started bouncing them as if nothing ever happened. Chad sighed and looked at Scott.

'You got your gym stuff, or…?' he asked. Scott smiled and shook his head.

'Nah, but don't worry. I don't mind this' he said confidently. Chad nodded.

'Alright, let's go. And don't worry, I won't be hard on you' he joked. Scott chuckled.

'Don't worry man, that won't be necessary' he said, knocked the ball out of Chad's hands and dribbled it towards the basket. Chad looked at me.

'Um, attitude?' he said. I laughed and patted his arm. 'Who is this guy anyway?'

'No idea. All I know is his name is Scott and he's really nice, so don't be mean' I begged. Chad smiled.

'Okay, okay… Only if you really want me to… Which doesn't mean I won't kick his butt.'

'Fine, do what you want' I said and raised my hands. 'But he's new, so don't make our school seem like a bunch of unmannered savages.'

'Oh, I wouldn't' Chad said with a wink.

'Danforth!' my father called. Chad sighed.

'You gonna stay for practice?' he asked. I looked up and saw Gaby sitting up on the tribune. I nodded.

'Yeah, I'll wait for you' I promised. Chad smiled.

'Awesome.'

'Danforth!' my father called. 'Get over here or the next 50 pushups is yours!'

Chad rolled his eyes. 'Gotta go.'

He smiled at me and ran off to the court. I climbed up the tribune and sat next to Gaby.

'Hey. Who's that cute guy you brought with you?' she asked. I shrugged.

'His name is Scott and he just moved here from Canada. He's in my French class' I explained. Gaby smirked.

'Lucky. There are only creeps in my Spanish class' she complained.

'And your boyfriend' I pointed out and she giggled.

'Thank God, otherwise it'd be pretty boring. So, what's the deal with him?'

We were both observing the new guy playing one on one with Chad.

'Well, he wants to join the team and since the tryouts are tomorrow my father let him do it now, so he's gotta go one on one with Chad. I guess he wants to check if he can play or not.'

'That seems fair' she said. I shrugged.

'I don't know. Dad told him to play against his best player.'

'How else will he check if he's good?'

'Okay, that's true.'

Meanwhile Chad did what he promised, meaning he was trying to kick Scott's butt, but it wasn't quite working. It seemed to me Scott new his way around the court and Chad turned out to be an equal opponent for him. The game started with Chad having a giant grin on his face, but the longer they played the grin turned into a tired frown. They went on for 15 minutes, both doing equally good, until my dad blew his whistle. He walked up to the boys, who were both exhausted and nodded his head, which most likely meant Scott was joined to the team. Chad shook his head before heading towards the bench to get a sip of water. He looked at me and shook his head, which made me laugh.

At first Scott seemed like a shy, quiet kid. But what do you know, he turned out quite confident about what he was good at. At that point I knew he was an intriguing person and I couldn't wait to find out more about him.

Taylor M.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I can't tell if this late of early? It sure is earlier than last time! :)<strong>  
><strong>It was a long chapter so I feel good about myself, even though it might have been a bit late. I hope you guys liked it! :D<strong>  
><strong>And no idea why I chose Taylor to learn French, but it all fits nicely with the new Scott guy, who I was anxious to introduce! <strong>  
><strong>I hoped you guys like the chapter and feel free to review and stuff! :)<strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**


	28. Chapter 28

**Is it boring when I apologize for not updating for years every time I update? I know it's always late and I wish I could do better, but I just can't succeed. I've worked on this short thing for a week or two, with constant breaks now and then, so it might be a mess and I'm sorry. But getting it out today helped me gain some motivation for both writing and updating! :D **  
><strong>Thanks for putting up with my crap and coming back to read this story. I'm sorry for being so lazy! :**  
><strong>As always, feel free to review and tell me what you think! :))<strong>

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>I came home exhausted. No idea why, but I just did. Maybe waking up at 6am was a shock for my body? Or maybe sitting at school all day and doing nothing made by brain really lazy, therefore tired? Either way, I couldn't wait to go up to my room and sleep until the next day. However, I couldn't. I had something important to do before that.<p>

I walked home with Chad to make the story he told his friend believable. And because he was the most fun person to ever walk home with. He told me about his classes and that he was devastated that he no longer had Math with me. I tried cheering him up with the fact that I could still help him do his homework. It worked.

I dropped my bag on the hall floor and slipped my shoes off.

'I'm home' I announced and stepped into the living room, but no one was there. I decided to go to the kitchen. There I found my dad and sister. 'Hey guys.'

'Hey baby' my father replied and looked down at the piece of paper between him and Destiny.

'What are you doing?' I asked.

'We're choosing a pizza to order….' Destiny explained. I walked up to the table and looked at the paper.

'What's the problem? Just get the usual' I suggested. Dad shook his head.

'We can't, because you sister would like more toppings on her pizza…' he said.

'Like what?'

'Like everything' Destiny said and smiled. Dad rolled his eyes and I giggled.

'Well, it can't be that bad…' I told him.

'Oh really? It includes eggs, onions, pineapple-' he started saying, but I cut him off.

'Pineapple?' I asked and looked at Destiny. 'No way, sis.'

'Oh come on!' she whined. 'It's not my fault I have a craving for some sweet stuff on my pizza!'

'Then you'll just have to put some jam on your slices and be satisfied with that' Dad told her. She nodded her head.

'Alright, can we just order?' she asked.

'Yeah, go ahead. I'm fine with anything but pineapples' he said. Destiny looked at me.

'Same' I told her. She sighed and got up.

'Okay, I'll see what I can order before they hang up on me.'

She picked up the paper form the table, then her cellphone from the counter and headed to the living room. I looked at my father.

'How come we're ordering pizza?' I asked.

'You mother has to fill up for someone at work' he said.

'Night shift again?'

'Unfortunately' he replied. I sighed and sat at the table, across from him.

My mother worked as a nurse and often besides having her own night shifts, she'd have to fill up for someone else. Even though Mom was against pizza being an appropriate dinner meal, she let us order it when she wasn't able to cook that day. That was only because she wanted to keep Dad from cooking for us and, I quote, "accidentally poisoning us".

'How was school?' he asked. I shrugged.

'It was fine… Dad, can I talk to you?' I asked. My father looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

'Of course you can, Taylor. What's up?'

'Well…. Ummm… You know how you always say that I shouldn't… go out with any of the boys from the team…?'

He nodded his head and narrowed his eyes a bit. 'Yeah, I know.'

'Well, what if… Hypothetically speaking, of course, I… kind of… You know…' I stuttered.

'What?'

I took a deep breath and decided I just had to say it. 'What if I liked one? Hypothetically?' I asked, letting the air out. My father bit his lips.

'And, hypothetically, who would it be?'

I stared at him, wondering if it I should tell him right away or later. Putting it away sounded like the best idea.

'Alright' he said after a moment of silence. 'Okay, so what if you hypothetically liked a boy-'

'And he liked me too!' I cut him off. Dad nodded his head.

'Right, of course' he said, smiling slightly. 'Well, in that case, I'd tell you to invite him over for a hypothetical lunch tomorrow.'

'But… But don't you want to know who it is?' I asked. Dad shook his head.

'No. I don't want to spend the whole day tomorrow thinking about that one kid who dared to make my baby girl like him' he said with a smile. I giggled.

'Dad!'

'Besides' he continued. 'If I know who it is exactly, I'll torture him instead of torturing everyone… I need to talk to the kid before I see him in school.'

'I get it' I said and smiled. 'I thought you'd be mad.'

'I should be, shouldn't I?' he asked and we both laughed. 'But I trust you; I know you wouldn't go out with a dumbass.'

I laughed again. 'No, he's… he's smart. And caring and-'

'Okay, okay' he cut me off. 'I get it. Enough about that. Don't you have homework to do?'

I giggled. 'I'm on it.'

I got up, headed to the hall, picked up my bag from the floor and made my way to my room.

Once I was in my room, I closed the door, opened the balcony door to let some fresh air in and looked around. Since I've finished my homework at school while waiting for Chad, I decided to clean up my room a little. I found my iPod, turned it on, put the earphones in my ears and got down to picking my clothes up from the bed and folding them.

I couldn't help swinging to the music a bit. I was in a really good mood that day. Besides the creepy Barry dude asking me out, everything went fine. I picked up a nicely folded shirt from my bed and carried it to my closet. I rested it on the shelf and turned around, when I saw Chad standing on my balcony. I got scared, so I screamed before I realized it was him. He laughed.

'Are you crazy?!' I asked after taking the earphones out. 'What are you doing?'

'I came over to see what you were doing, but I saw you were busy dancing around, so I didn't want to interrupt..' he explained. I rolled my eyes, put the iPod away, picked up a shirt from the floor and walked up to him.

'So you decided to stay here and scare the crap out of me?' I asked, whipping him with the T-Shirt. He laughed and held his hands over his head.

'I said hey, but you didn't hear it. I didn't know what to do' he defended himself laughing. I hit him once again and let the shirt hang over his shoulder.

'Don't ever do that again' I told him and walked back into my room. He followed me.

'Sorry, it won't happen again' he assured. He took the T-shirt off his shoulder and looked at it. 'Cute.'

I turned to him and saw he was holding up my Mickey Mouse shirt. I rolled my eyes and took it away from him. 'It's old.'

'Of course it is' he said with a smile. I shook my head and began folding the T-shirt.

'What are you doing here anyway?' I asked. Chad opened his mouth to reply, but he got cut off by knocking on the door.

'Tay, are you okay?' Destiny asked. My eyed widened.

'Hide behind the bed' I whispered to him. He walked around my bed and lied down on the floor behind it. I walked up to the door and opened it. 'What's up?'

'Nothin', I just heard you scream… Is everything okay?' she asked with concern. I nodded my head.

'Yes, everything's fine' I answered. 'I just… I thought I saw a spider and you know how I am with spiders…'

'Oh, well do you want me to kill it for ya?' she suggested. My whole family knew about my mild arachnophobia, so whenever there was a spider in my room, either Dad or Tony or Destiny would come and make sure it wasn't there anymore. I thought that was a good way to let my sister know I was fine and to make her… well, go away.

'No, it's okay. It turned out to be just… dust' I said. Destiny nodded her head.

'Alright… Don't do that whole screaming thing unless it's something serious, I got scared' she told me and headed back to her room. I sighed.

'Okay, next time I'll make sure to check if it's a spider before I scream' I said sarcastically.

'And don't talk back to me' she called and slammed her door. I rolled my eyes and closed my door.

'So I'm nothing but a spider now, huh?' Chad asked. I turned around and saw his head sticking out from behind my bed. I smiled.

'Spiders are a pretty big deal' I said and sat on my bed. 'I'm terrified of them.'

'I knew that' he said and got up. 'I remember that one time you ran home screaming when you saw one in the tree house.'

'Hey, that's not funny!' I whined. 'It was huge!'

Chad chuckled and sat on the other edge of my bed. 'It was a size of a ladybug, but whatever.'

I scoffed. 'Yeah, if a ladybug mutated into a crazy beast with eight legs and three pairs of eyes!'

Chad stared at me before bursting out laughing. I gasped, moved closer to him and put my hand over his mouth.

'Shhhh, my dad's home and Destiny's room is behind that wall. They might hear you!' I whispered. Chad calmed down, but the smile didn't leave his face. He nodded his head and I took my hand away.

'Sorry' he whispered, trying to mimic me. I shook my head.

'Okay, tell my why you're here before anyone catches you' I told him.

'Why, can't I just come over to see you when I feel like it?' he asked with a smirk. 'I missed you. Is that enough to keep you from kicking me out?'

I giggled. 'Alright, listen… I don't care, stay here as long as you want. You're the one who my father will murder.'

'Oh come on, we both know it's worth it. Besides, he's probably gonna murder me anyways, so why put it away?'

'True…' I replied and smiled. 'So, you basically came here to spend time with me?'

'Well, yes… And I also have to tell you something.'

'What is it?'

'I told my mom about us' he said with a proud smile. I gasped.

'Really?'

'Yup.'

'What did she say?'

'Umm… She didn't say much. She just smiled and said I should invite your over for lunch or dinner or whatever… You know, I shouldn't have you over only to help me do homework.'

I smiled and rested my back on the pillow. 'That's great… My dad said the same thing… about lunch, not about the homework.'

'Wait, you told him?'

'Yeah… Well, I didn't tell him it was you, I just told him I liked a boy and he liked me too, so he just said to bring the guy home with me tomorrow… He didn't want to know who I was talking about. He said he wouldn't be able to focus at work tomorrow.'

'Right…' Chad said nervously. 'What do you think he's gonna say when he finds out it's me?'

I looked down. 'I have no idea… He probably won't do anything… crazy, he shouldn't. He's not like that…' I said and looked at Chad. 'You know, I'm less scared of telling him the truth. I realized I've been overreacting the whole time. He does get upset sometimes, but at the end of the day, he gets over it. I mean, if he was supposed to kill someone, he'd murder Destiny's boyfriend a long time ago. And he's still alive, so that's good, right?'

Chad chuckled. 'Yeah, it is. There's some hope for me then, huh?'

'Oh, I'm sorry for scaring you!' I said and moved closer to him. 'All the freaking out that I did must have made you think my dad was gonna kill you!'

'No, not really… I know coach tends to get angry sometimes, but I never thought he'd do something… you know, physically' he said and bit his lips. 'Okay, I'm gonna be a man and come to lunch here with you tomorrow.'

'Promise me you're not gonna be scared?' I said and rested my chin on his shoulder. He sighed.

'No, I won't be scared… I might be nervous. He might scream or something… I don't like screaming' he said and looked at me. I giggled.

'He screams at you on the practices' I pointed out.

'Yeah, but then there's people around and he's basically screaming at all of us. And tomorrow I'll be all alone… Just standing there… Trying not to cry…' he said and looked away dramatically. I laughed.

'Come on, I'll be there!'

He looked at me. 'Will you hold my hand?' he asked and at that moment I could tell he was joking all along. I laughed once again and nodded my head.

'Of course' I promised. Chad smiled.

'Awesome.'

He stared at me for a moment before leaning in and kissing my lips. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. When he pulled away, I turned my head so he couldn't see me blush.

I cleared my throat. 'Alright, you told me what you wanted to tell me. You can go now.'

'Aww, Tay' he whined. 'I don't wanna go back home. It's crazy there.'

'Why?'

'Long story short, Charlie's constantly crying and it's gotten to a point where all I can hear is him crying in my head' he explained and I laughed. 'No, don't laugh. It's not funny. I can hear him right now.'

I giggled, got up from the bed and walked up to the balcony. I stuck my head outside and heard a silent cry coming from the house next door. I looked at Chad. 'It's because he's crying right now.'

'See? I can't go back there!' he said and leaned back on my bed. I giggled and walked up to him.

'I wish my parents got a puppy instead of a baby' he continued. 'Puppies are better. They're small and cute and furry and you can hug them without your mother being all like "no, leave him alone! He's so fragile".'

I laughed at Chad's impression of his own mother and sat next to him. 'Look at the bright side. Puppies poop everywhere.'

'Oh, you think Charlie wouldn't?' he asked and looked at me. 'The only thing stopping him is the diaper.'

I laughed once again. 'Oh Chad.'

'I've always wanted a puppy' he said and stared at my ceiling. 'I've always asked for one and my parents ignored me. You know what I never asked for? A little brother. And BAM! there he is.'

I smiled and lied down next to him. 'Weren't you excited to have a little brother?'

'Yeah, before I knew I had to wait so long before he was cool. Like all I wanna do is play ball with him and stuff. And judging by how fast things are going, he's not gonna be able to play anything before I'm 30.'

I giggled. 'Soon he's gonna be smiling and sitting up, not to even mention start walking. If it makes you feel any better, I'd love to do all those things with my nephew, but he's not even born yet.'

Chad turned his head towards me. 'You can always play with Charlie' he said. I smiled at him.

'Thanks.'

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. We both sat up and Chad hid behind the bed once again. I turned towards the door.

'Yeah?'

Destiny pressed the door handle and walked inside. 'The pizza just arrived' she announced.

'Okay, I'll be there in a second.'

'Sure' she said and was about to leave, but she walked back towards the door. 'Tell Chad he can come too, there's enough pizza for everyone.'

She winked at me and closed the door. I looked down at Chad and we both burst out laughing. So much for being quiet.

* * *

><p>The school year had just started, so I didn't expect any breaking news or drama coming the first week. There was no drama, but there was a big surprise waiting for me after class.<p>

New school year meant new people, new teachers and new rules. One of the most shocking changes was that the basketball practices were no longer held five days a week, but four days a week. My father was, of course, the last person to find out about it, only because the teachers who suggested said change knew he wouldn't be too happy about it. The principle argued his decision saying that the boys had no time to develop their other talents, whether it was other sports, arts or even sciences. My father thought that was absurd and said all the boys wanted to do was basketball and nothing else. However, it turned out that most of them liked the idea and took that free-of-basketball-practice day to practice other sports. My father gave up and had no other choice, but to be satisfied with staying home on Tuesdays. He complained about it at first, but got accustomed to it. However, Mom wasn't too happy about it. She said that'd make him watch TV all day and eat junk food. Dad never admitted to it, but we all knew it was true.

So the first Tuesday of the new school year I was on my way to Chemistry Club. I never dared to tell my father that, but I was happy about the new Tuesday rule. I had Chemistry Club at the same time as Chad had his baseball practice, so I didn't have to wait for him anymore like on the other days. Once a week I got to return home earlier than usual.

I stopped at my locker to leave my books and pick up my notebook and the Extended Chemistry Course book and headed towards the classroom. I was in a great mood that day and all I could think about was finally letting my father know Chad was the boy I told him about. I wasn't stressed about it anymore, so that is why I was excited. Or I had too much sugar for breakfast, I don't remember.

I turned right in the hall and saw Gaby standing in front of the classroom. She was checking her watch and looking around. When she saw me, she excitedly waved her hand to make me walk faster. Maybe I wasn't the only one high on sugar that day.

'Hey' I greeted her. She grabbed my arm.

'Taylor, before you go in there, I need you to know we might have a new member' she said. She sounded like she was trying to calm herself down while she just wanted to calm me down. I nodded my head.

'Okaaay…?'

'And it might surprise you' she said and smiled. I raised my eyebrows.

'Please… PLEASE don't tell me Danforth's in there' I said seriously. Gaby laughed and shook her head.

'No way. If he was, I'd dying laughing right now' he said and I relaxed. 'But you're close.'

'Close?' I moved her out of my way and tried to see what was going on inside the classroom, because the door was wide opened. Gaby laughed.

'Take a guess!' she begged. I rolled my eyes.

'Tell me right now! Unless you want me to go in there and get a heart attack' I demanded. Gaby smiled.

'Okay, okay' she gave up. 'It's your little Canadian buddy.'

My eyes widened. 'No way. Scott?' I asked. She nodded her head. 'There's a dumb basketball player person… in that classroom… willing to do chemistry… OPTIONAL chemistry?'

'Yup' she said with a smile.

'And he wants to join?'

'Yeah. We're ready to take him in, but since you're the president… We need your opinion' she explained. I examined what was happening in the classroom and looked at her.

'Okay, let's see if he's serious about it' I said and we made our way into the classroom.

There we saw our regular group circled around a desk, talking to each other and Scott was sitting on the side, playing with his pen. I felt sorry for him and I was embarrassed for my friends, who didn't know how to properly socialize.

'Go talk to him, Tay' Gaby whispered to me. I rolled my eyes and walked up to Scott.

'Hey' I said. Scott put his pen down and looked up at me.

'Hi' he greeted with a weak smile.

'Ummm… Listen, I heard you wanted to join our group here' I said and looked at my friends. 'Sorry for them, I guess they're surprised to see you here.'

Scott raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'Because, you know… You're a basketball player' I tried explaining, but Scott wasn't exactly following.

'I don't get it.'

'In this school it's really weird to see… a basketball guy who's interested in chemistry… In any science really. Our group is known as the "Nerds" or "Science Geeks" and we don't usually… interact… with people from… outside.'

'Oh' Scott nodded his head. I saw the look on his face and shook my head.

'BUT we don't discriminate!' I cleared up. Scott smiled and got up.

'Does that mean I can stay here and change a few stereotypes?' he asked. I analyzed what he said and slowly nodded my head.

'Yeah, I guess' I replied shrugging.

'Alright, then let's do some science' he said and shot me a cocky smile. He walked up to the board and looked at the equation. Meanwhile, I was trying to process what just happened.

'And?' someone asked. I snapped out of the daze and saw Gaby standing next to me.

'Um, yeah' I replied blankly.

'Did we accept him?'

'I think he just accepted himself…' I said and looked at Scott. 'But yeah, he's accepted. Just keep an eye on him.'

'Why?'

'I don't know… Just do.'

We started the first meeting of the year and discussed some basic organizational details. I was the one to start the whole discussion, but as soon as others got involved, I went quiet and took some vague notes. I couldn't help glancing at Scott once in a while, just out of plain curiosity. He sat there and doodled something in his notebook, rarely looking up. I couldn't blame him. No one besides me talked to him yet and I felt like I should sit next to him and make him feel welcomed, but I couldn't. That day I talked to him for the second time and again I got this weird feeling. It was like a vibe of some sort. Don't get me wrong, it was a good vibe. Just from talking to him I could confirm that he was a polite, funny and honest guy. On the other hand, he seemed a little cocky and slightly overconfident. That should bother me, but instead I found it… fascinating. I was impressed he was like that, even though it was his first two days at school. Normally people are shy and keep to themselves and he sort of did, but when he talked to me, he seemed really laid back and cool. He was a mysterious guy and I found it quite appealing, that's why I decided to keep a safe distance.

We managed to go over the year's agenda before the bell rung. Gaby and I had to wait in front of the school for Troy and Chad, so we weren't in a hurry. That is probably why Gabriella finally decided to introduce herself to Scott and let him tag along with us on our way out of the school.

'No way! Your parents own that restaurant down the street?' Gaby asked with disbelief. Scott chuckled while holding the door for us. I mumbled a silent "thank you" and we walked outside.

'Yeah' he replied.

'That must be so fun!' she said with a smile. It was funny to watch, because just in the morning I told her all I knew about Scott from what he told me the previous day. And now she was pretending like all that was brand new information to her.

'I guess it is… Again, if you guys want, I can get you a discount' he said, glancing at me. 'My parents like it when I bring my friends over. They say hungry teenagers are a good target market.'

We stopped walking and Gaby giggled. 'I'd love a discount! Me and my boyfriend need a new place to hang out. There's not much to do around here.'

They were silent for a moment. I didn't know if it was my turn to add something, all I knew was that if Gaby started this conversation, she was gonna finish it on her own.

'So are you guys going home, or…?' Scott asked.

'Yeah, we just gotta wait…' Gaby explained. 'I'm waiting for Troy and Taylor's-'

'I'm waiting for her' I said, cutting Gaby off. She gave me a weird look, probably forgetting no one could know about Chad and I yet. And we didn't know if Scott could be trusted.

'Oh, okay… I guess I can wait with you… Can I?' he asked.

'Of course!' Gaby said right away. I rolled my eyes. So much for trying to stay away from Scott.

'Which way are you guys going?' he asked. Gaby and I pointed opposite directions.

'That way' we said. Scott chuckled and looked at me.

'I also walk that way. Where do you live?' he asked. I looked at his gray eyes and realized lying to him would be a terrible thing. I sighed quietly and gave up.

'Baker's' I said. Scott nodded his head.

'I live a bit closer… But I can walk you, if you wanna.'

Okay Taylor, focus. Is he just being nice or totally hitting on you? I had no idea. But again, saying no would make me look like a bitch.

'Yeah, sure…' I replied. 'I usually walk with Chad, because he lives on my street… I'm sure you can join us though.'

Scott smiled. 'Great.'

A second later the door opened and the boys walked outside. Troy happily made his way to Gabriella and leaned in to get a kiss. Chad however, wasn't so enthusiastic; he sighed when he saw Scott and walked up to me.

'Hey' he greeted everyone. 'Sorry it took so long.'

'Yeah, coach got carried away and forgot about the time' Troy explained.

'Don't worry about it' Gaby said and kissed his lips once again. Chad rolled his eyes and looked at Scott.

'Welcome to East High. On the left there are sports courts and on the right you can see our lovebirds making out' he said sarcastically. Troy and Gabriella pulled away laughing. I playfully slapped Chad's arm and Scott chuckled.

'Hey, every school has those.'

'Excuse you, we are one of a kind' Troy said and wrapped his girlfriend. The rest of us laughed.

'You done for today?' Chad asked Scott. He nodded.

'Yeah.'

'What did you choose as an extracurricular activity?' Troy asked. Scott put his hands in his pockets and smiled weakly.

'Chemistry Club' he replied. Chad and Troy looked at each other and back at Scott.

'You mean like… What the girls do?' Chad asked.

'Yeah' Scott answered.

'Like… The equations and stuff…?' Troy asked. Scott nodded his head.

'Yeah, like that.'

The boys looked at each other and burst out laughing. I rolled my eyes and looked at Scott.

'I told you it's frowned upon in this school…' I whispered. Chad calmed down and put his hand on Scott's shoulder.

'Oh man, tell me you're kidding!' he begged and started laughing again. Scott shook his head.

'I'm not' he said and the guys got serious. 'I really like Chemistry, that's it.'

Troy chuckled again, so Gaby nudged him signaling he should stop.

'You guys are so mean' she said. 'Why is it so weird that he has interests other than basketball?'

'I don't know' Troy said and cleared his throat. 'It's just that… It's weird, dude.'

'Yeah' Chad added. 'But no hard feelings. You do what you do, we're not gonna judge. You know, as long as you keep your head in the game, we don't care.'

'Thanks… I guess' Scott said.

We talked for a bit longer and then Troy and Gaby went the opposite way. Chad, Scott and I went our way. The boys got in a conversation about how Chad couldn't believe Scott was into sciences and so on. I wasn't really listening. I just wanted Scott to turn his way and let Chad and I be alone.

'I don't know, I just like it' Scott said. 'I really like solving the equations… It's fun.'

Chad laughed. 'Wow, you're just like Taylor. She also loves the equations. She can sit there for hours just solving them. Right Tay?'

'Huh?' I asked, snapping out of a daydream.

'I said you like solving equations' Chad repeated. I nodded my head.

'Um, yeah. I do' I replied blankly. Chad raised his eyebrows.

'You okay? You're kinda distant today' he said. I shook my head.

'Don't worry, I'm fine. I just drifted away for a second, sorry' I said. Chad smiled.

'It's alright.'

'Oh, there's my street' Scott said. 'I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow.'

'Yeah' Chad said. 'Make sure you come to practice with no equations in your head.'

Scott laughed. 'I can do that. Bye.'

'See ya' Chad and I said. Scott shot me a discreet smile and made his way down the street. I bit my lips and looked ahead.

'Are you sure you're okay?' Chad asked once again, this time wrapping his arm around me. I smiled weakly.

'Yeah, I'm fine.'

'Oh come on! I can see something's bothering you. What is it?'

'It's nothing.'

Chad sighed. 'Can I guess?'

'You can try…'

'Is it about Scott?'

My breath got caught up in my throat. _How did he know? Was I obvious? But why did he even make me feel that way? What did I feel anyway? What was going on? What?_

'Um, what?' I asked. Chad smiled.

'If you're scared because you think he might be better at chemistry than you… Don't be. He isn't.'

I laughed and shook my head. 'It's not that, trust me.'

'Aww, then what it is?' he asked. I shrugged.

'I don't know… It can't be because I'm scared to tell my dad about us, because I wasn't scared in the morning.'

'Maybe it's because I'm scared' he said. I giggled.

'You said you wouldn't be!'

'I know… But it's different when you actually have to do it.'

'Hey, maybe it won't be that bad' I said, opening the gate. Chad sighed and stopped before the gate. I gave him a funny look. 'Are you coming with me?'

'Yeah…' he mumbled and slowly followed me. I smiled, took his hand and lead him to the back door.

'Everything is going to be okay. Just be cool. And don't do anything that might set him off' I advised. Chad sighed.

'I'll try.'

We stopped in front of the door and I looked at him.

'Relax' I said. Chad gave me a sad look. 'Okay, I think I know how to make you feel better.'

I put my hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a deep kiss. Chad was dumbfounded at first, but a second later he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist. We were so caught up in kissing, we didn't even realize someone opened the door. Finally, they cleared their throat.

When I saw my father standing in the doorway, with his arms closed and a dissatisfied look on his face, I thought I was going to collapse. I unconsciously pushed Chad away from me and smoothened my shirt.

'So that's how it is, huh?' he asked. Chad cleared his throat and looked at my father.

'To my defense, she was the one who kissed me.'

They both stared at me, both waiting for me to say something. I looked down, trying to hold back laughter. That was the worst way for my father to find out about Chad and I, yet I was glad it happened that way. At least we skipped the formal part and got straight to the super uncomfortable part.

Taylor M.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys! :D**  
><strong>Okay, so this chapter is only a two weeks late (I said I'd update once a month, right?) To make it up to you, here's a long chapter.<strong>

**Feel free to review and tell me what you think! :)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>A week passed before my father got used to the thought of Chad and I dating. I gotta say I was impressed. I expected it'd take him much longer. Also, I was wrong… Well, kinda. Remember how Chad and I were sure Dad was going to torture him on the practices? It turned out we were just overreacting. Nevertheless, Chad did get some extra pushups to do from my father. It wasn't to punish him, but to show him what kind of power my father had over him. I decided to stay out of it, simply because I refused to understand the concept of the unwritten rules in the male society.<p>

Chad kept convincing me that now that my father knew about us, we could let everyone know. I was skeptical. Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't care what other people thought about me. But when I imagined it would finally happen, I kept getting mixed feeling. Fortunately, Chad was an understanding guy and said we could put it off as long as I wanted. Unless it was for eternity, of course.

The school year was just like any other school year; nothing interesting was happening besides having a whole lot of tests the very second week. That meant studying every day, which left no time for anything else. Chad and I got to hang out at school only, which sucked considering we couldn't even behave as a couple. So far Chad and his suggestion of letting everybody know about our relationship were winning in a race with my insecurities.

I happened to be the first of my friends to get to lunch. I picked up my tray and sat at an empty table. I greeted a few people I knew who passed by and kept looking around for my friends. Finally, I saw Gaby approaching with Scott.

'Hey Tay' she said and sat next to me. 'Did you get one of these?'

She put a flyer on the table, in front of me. I picked it up and looked at it.

'They're all over the school' Scott said and sat across from us. 'I've been given like 3 of those today!'

I smiled and examined the flyer. It was a normal piece of paper with black and white printing on it, probably because someone thought it'd be pointless to print them in color. The title said "class president and student body president elections" in all capital letters. I quickly scanned the paper and put in back on the table.

'Do you guys think anyone will apply?' Scott asked. Gaby shrugged.

'I don't know… Last year there were like 4 candidates. They promised to change so many things, but you know; all people know how to do is complain. The guy who won did nothing. I heard it was all for extra credit.'

'Oh, that sucks' Scott said with a frown. Gaby and I sighed simultaneously. Seconds later we were approached by Chad and Troy.

'Hey guys' Troy said and sat next to Gaby. 'Hey Gabs.'

They started talking about whatever, so I understood there would be no contact with them for a while. I turned to Chad, who sat next to Scott.

'Ugh, enough of those' he said, shoving a flyer onto the table. 'They're printing this while there's no paper towels in the bathrooms.'

'Not to even mention toilet paper' Gaby added. I smiled and looked at Chad.

'What happened to your cool table?' I asked. 'What will the guys say when they see you sitting here?'

Chad raised his eyebrows and thought about it before answering my question. 'Oh, you know… Since those two are dating and Scott and I…'

'Man, leave me out of this' Scot told him. 'I'm new, I don't have any other friends besides you guys.'

I giggled and Chad nodded his head. 'Okay, well, Scott has me… And I have Troy… And since Troy sits with Gaby-'

'We have no other choice' Scott cut Chad off, finishing his sentence. I giggled at their silliness.

'Okay, fair enough' I said. 'You can stay.'

They both smiled and got down to eating their lunch. I looked down at my meal and realized I wasn't even that hungry.

'Run for class president!' someone said while throwing a few papers at our table and running away. Chad put down his fork and looked around.

'I'll find you!' he called after a kid, who most probably was a freshman. I laughed and shook my head.

'Hey, he's just doing his job.'

'Yeah, well he's interrupting my lunch. And I think we all know you can't do that' he said seriously. I smiled and picked up one of the papers.

'Of course we do' I told him and looked down at the paper. It was the exact same flyer. It seemed like they really wanted people to apply for the elections.

'Okay, were they this annoying last year?' Troy asked. Gaby shook her head.

'No. They weren't announcing the elections that much and most of the people didn't even know about it.'

'Maybe they want more people to apply this year?' Scott suggested.

'What for?' Chad scoffed. 'All those guys who win do is get extra credit and show up at a school event once or twice.'

'That's true' Troy said. 'Last year Chad and Tony wanted to organize the championship party at our school, so the principal told them to talk to the class president about it.'

'Why?' Gaby asked.

'Because the class president is responsible for gathering everything and everyone and organizing it' Chad explained. 'But the guy told us he didn't feel like collecting money from the students, because he thought no one was going to want to do it and stuff… He was just too lazy to even do anything about it.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Seriously?' I asked with disbelief. 'Everyone would want the championship party to be held at school! And what's the big deal? You don't need millions to buy some balloons, snacks and some soda! You don't even have to get a DJ; there's plenty of kids here who'd love to do it for fun!'

'I told you, there are only there for extra credit' Chad sighed. I shook my head and looked at the paper.

'There are so many things that could be changed here with even the minimum amount of will. Like even getting toilet paper! That's the least they could do.'

'I agree' Gaby said. 'Not to even mention that ever since our freshman year, we've been trying to get someone to fix the sink in our Chemistry classroom!'

'Exactly! It's like we're not the only ones who need stuff. For example, I heard the Drama club needed need new curtains, because the old ones were attacked by moths this summer. Also, my father complained that the gym could use some new sports equipment like basketballs and footballs. There's so much to do!'

'Yeah! It's not that hard to change things.'

The guys exchanged looks before Troy cleared his throat.

'Why don't you guys run for class president?' he asked. Gaby and I looked at each other.

'Why would we do that?' I asked.

'It's obvious you two know what's going on and have some ideas' Scott pointed out. 'You could actually change something if you won.'

Gaby bit her lip. 'Well, I don't think I'm qualified enough' she said. 'But Taylor could do it.'

I gave her a shocked look. 'What?'

'You have better rhetorical skills than me! Plus, you have more ideas' she suggested.

'She's right, Tay' Chad told me. I shook my head.

'Plus, people around the school know you' Troy added. 'You could get more support 'cause of that.'

'So what? I'm not running for anything' I stated and picked up my fork. Chad sighed.

'Come on, Tay. Think about it. You'd get a chance to do some things for the school and get extra credit and we'd get to organize the championship party at school.'

'Assuming we win, of course' Scott said. Chad patted his back with a smile.

'Don't worry man, we will.'

'So' Gaby turned to me. 'Will you do it?'

I saw the way everyone at the table looked at me and sighed. 'Alright, I'll think about it.'

My friends nodded their heads and changed the topic of our conversation. Meanwhile, I sat there and thought about the elections. I won't lie; the idea didn't appeal to me in the slightest bit. I didn't feel like preparing a campaign or whatever or participating in debates with other candidates. If I decided to run for class president, it'd mean I'd have to be "public" to the whole school. People would see me everywhere and that was the last thing I wanted, especially once everyone found out about Chad and I. My plan was to stick to the side and stay out of people's way. Running for class president wasn't an option.

After class I was, as usual, on my way to the gym. I wanted to wait for Chad to finish his practice so I could walk home with him. I walked past the changing rooms and stood at the door. I leaned against the door frame. I couldn't see Chad anywhere; I figured he was probably changing. I watched the other boys walking around the court, when I felt someone's arm around my waist.

'Hey there' someone whispered. I got scared at first, but when I turned around and saw Chad, I smiled.

'Stop that' I said and moved away from him. He chuckled and took his arm away.

'Oh come on' he whined. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

'Don't forget we're at school' I said with a smile. He sighed.

'Right, right' he said sarcastically. 'I just wanted to know if you have any plans for the afternoon.'

'Um, well… Not really' I told him. 'It's Friday, so I won't be doing any homework. My sister has a doctor's appointment and later is going out with her friends, my mom has an afternoon shift and my father needs to stay at school for a meeting or whatever. So I'm all alone.'

'Great' he said with a smile. 'We could go hang out somewhere, maybe to eat something.'

'Yes, I'm starving' I said. Chad nodded his head.

'Okay, so I'll meet you in front of the school?' he asked.

'Yes. Just please, hurry up!' I begged. 'I don't want to wait forever. And it's raining outside.'

'Alright, you got it' he said and leaned in to kiss me. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away lightly.

'Chad, someone will see us' I whispered and smiled. He sighed.

'Fine' he whispered back. 'But today I'll get to kiss you as much as I want.'

'Fine with me' I said giggling. He smirked and made his way towards the court. I watched him walk away and smiled to myself. Gradually I was becoming more and more attracted to Chad. It's not like I wasn't before, but lately I've gotten this urge to kiss him more often than I did in the beginning. The way he talked, the way he acted…There was something about him that made me want to touch him and be with him as much as possible. However, I decided to control myself, because I wasn't going to let my teenage hormones win over my mind.

'Hey Taylor' someone behind me said. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned around. I saw Scott approaching me.

'Hey' I said smiling. He walked up to me.

'What's up? What are you doing here?' he asked. I shrugged.

'Oh you know, the usual… I'm waiting for Gaby, she's waiting for Troy… Plus, I usually walk home with Chad' I replied, hoping that was enough of an explanation. Scott nodded his head.

'Right, I should've known' he said with a slight smile. 'I hope that you're here also because you're a fan of the Wildcats… at least a supporter.'

I laughed. 'Don't worry about that, I'm more than a fan!'

'Okay, then keep an eye on us and let us know what we need to work on before the championships' he said jokingly and was about to walk away. I remembered something and grabbed his arm.

'Wait, Scott' I said. He looked at me and then at my hand. I took it away and cleared my throat. 'Have you done the French homework for Monday yet?'

Scott's facial expression changed from confused to disappointed, but he put a weak smile on.

'Yeah, I've done it in class yesterday' he answered. 'Why?'

'I'm… I'm kinda having problems with it' I said and looked down. 'I wanted to ask you for help… Since you're fluent in French.'

'Right, right' he said and nodded his head. 'Look, it's no problem for me. We could meet after lunch on Monday and I could explain it to you.'

'Really? That would be great!' I said. 'I don't even get what I'm supposed to do there.'

'Okay, I'll make sure to explain everything the best way I can' he promised. I smiled at him.

'Thanks.'

'No problem. I'd love to help out.'

We exchanged friendly smiles and he turned around to leave. However, he stopped after a second and turned to me.

'Um, Taylor, listen…' he started. 'How about we go somewhere today together? I could explain French to you and then we could just, you know… Hang out?'

I held my breath and stared at him. _That's it, he asked me out. I knew it! I knew there was something on that guy's mind! Okay, but what now? What do I tell him? I can't go out with him!_

'Ummm, look Scott… I'd love to, since you're a great guy, but… I'm kind of seeing someone right now' I said. He raised his eyebrows.

'You are?' he asked.

'Yeah' I said and looked over at Chad, who was dribbling the ball in the middle of the court. Scotts eyes travelled after mine and he turned to me.

'Gee, I should've guessed…' he said. I looked at him.

'Is it that obvious?'

'No, it's not… It's not obvious at all, actually…' he stuttered and shook his head. 'Taylor, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have-'

'No, it's okay' I assured with a smile. 'You couldn't have known. Don't worry about it.'

'This is embarrassing' he said and looked down. I giggled.

'No, it isn't. I promise, no hard feelings.'

He looked at me. 'Does it mean we can still be friends, or would that just make everything awkward?'

'Of course we can be friends. We'll just pretend it never happened' I assured. He sighed and nodded his head.

'Okay… Could you maybe do me a favor and not tell him about this?' he asked. 'I have a strange feeling he'd rip my head off the moment he found out.'

I giggled once again. 'I promise to keep it a secret.'

'Okay, okay… Thanks' he said and scratched the back of his head. 'I guess I'll get going.'

'Wait a second' I said. He looked at me. 'I need you to do me a favor too. Can you not tell anyone about Chad and I?'

'Oh, so it's a secret?' he asked. I nodded my head.

'Sort of. You happen to be one of the few people who know about it, but we don't want everyone to find out yet' I explained. Scott nodded his head.

'Alright, I won't tell anyone. I promise.'

'Thanks.'

He stood there for a moment and we were silent. Did it make me feel awkward? Not really, but I guess I could imagine what he felt. Personally I felt sort good about myself. I was flattered someone else but Chad was interested in me. I just hated to see the poor guy hurt this way.

'Okay, well…' he said, breaking off the silence. 'I have a practice to be on.'

'Of course.'

He turned around and made his way towards the court. Then he turned to me and walked up to where he was standing before.

'Wait, so what about the "we don't interact with people from outside" thing?' he asked. I raised my eyebrows. I was impressed he still remember what I told him almost two weeks before.

'Well, I had to say that. I have a secret to keep' I told him. He smiled and shook his head.

'I'll see you around, Taylor' he said and walked away. I sighed.

* * *

><p>As I waited for Chad in front of the entrance, I couldn't get my mind off Scott. I don't know why, but it bothered me a little… No doubt we'd stay friends and just pretend that never happened, but I felt like I should let Chad know. Although, I couldn't think of any good reason for telling him; it's not like anything happened. Scott asked, I declined. That's all.<p>

On the other hand, what if Chad found out from someone else? He'd definitely be upset about me keeping such things from him… Okay, who was I kidding? Chad was sort of overprotective of me, especially when it came to other boys. I figured that if I told him, he'd get mad at Scott. That would mean Chad and his friends would try to push Scott out of their friendship circle and the poor guy would end up all alone, which would be terrible, because he did nothing bad.

Ugh, maybe I was just overanalyzing everything? Maybe I could just keep the promise I gave Scott and let it all remain a secret? I decided to give it some thought before making up my mind about telling Chad.

I sighed and looked around the empty yard. Since it was raining, people were either inside or had gone home hours ago. I stood under a roof above the entrance door and the surrounding area, waiting for Chad's bushy head to appear. I rubbed my arms and shivered slightly. I was surprised by the rainy weather, because in the morning I wore a light jacket and plain sneakers. I already knew I was gonna regret it while blowing my nose all night.

I looked through the glass door and saw Chad approaching with some friends. _Great, they were all I needed right now._ I rubbed my hands together and leaned on the wall a bit away from the door. The door finally opened and Chad was the first one to walk outside.

'Dude, what the hell?' Chad asked laughing. His friends laughed and walked outside. They all got serious when they noticed me standing there. Chad and I exchanged looks before he smiled. 'Hey, Taylor.'

'Hey…' I replied, trying to act as neutral as I could.

'Chad, you comin'?' one guy asked. He shook his head.

'Nah, you guys go… I'll see you tomorrow' he said and looked at them. They chuckled and each of them shook his hand.

'See ya, dude' one of them told him and they all walked away, towards the parking lot. Chad put his hands in his pockets and stood in front of me.

'What was the chuckling all about?' I asked. He smiled and looked down.

'Come on, you know everyone's talking about us walking home together and stuff…' he explained. 'And it's not even about that, it's just… Well, they keep reminding me you're the coach's daughter.'

'And?'

'Well, guess who got extra 25 pushups today, because they got in the line one second later than the rest…' he replied with an embarrassed smile. I laughed.

'Aww, let me guess… The really sweet guy with crazy hair?' I teased playfully. He sighed and nodded his head.

'Yeah. The guys already realized it's personal and they connected the facts and…'

'Oh, I guess they're not as dumb as we thought' I said with a smile. Chad chuckled.

'Yeah, unfortunately…'

'Did you tell them yet?' I asked. He shook his head.

'No… They still think I keep on trying to get you to go out with me and you keep rejecting me, which seems to satisfy them in a way…'

I giggled. 'They're just jealous of how good you are at this.'

'Well, you know, they'll never know how good I am if we keep this a secret forever' he suggested. I nodded my head.

'I see your suggestion, but I overlook it and suggest we wait a little longer' I said. He sighed.

'Fine…'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Hey, don't say "fine" like that! If you're not okay with it, just say it.'

'No, I am, Tay. I understand you're not ready yet and I totally accept it' he said and looked into my eyes. I examined his face before speaking again.

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah. After all, we're both in this relationship. And if you're not ready, I'm not ready either.'

I smiled and touched his cheeks. 'I'd totally kiss you right now, but I'm afraid someone might be watching.'

'And what if they're watching right now?' he asked with a smile. I shrugged.

'They must be really confused.'

'Either way, it's going my way' he pointed out smirking. I giggled.

'Then we better get out of here in case more things go your way' I said with a smirk. He chuckled.

'I already called kissing you all afternoon, but don't think I have no other plans' he told me and put his hands on mine. 'Tay, your hands are cold.'

'I'm sorry' I said and quickly took them away, not wanting to freeze his cheeks off.

'Are you cold?' he asked, but didn't wait for my reply. Instead he dropped his backpack and took his jacket off. 'Here, have this.'

I watched him take his hoody off and I shook my head. 'No, it's okay, Chad. I'm fine.'

'Come on, I can see you're freezing' he said handing me the hoody. 'Besides, it's raining and your jacket doesn't have a hood.'

I reluctantly took my jacket off and took the hoody from him. 'What about you? Aren't you going to be cold?' I asked, putting his hoody on. He put his jacket on top of his T-shirt, picked up his backpack from the ground and smiled shaking his head.

'Don't worry, I have my jacket.'

'Won't you get sick?' I asked with concern and put my jacket on top of his hoody. He chuckled.

'I'll be fine' he assured. 'Plus, I could use some days off, away from school.'

I shook my head at him, which made him laugh. He pulled his hand out for me to hold and we walked into the rain. While he lead me towards the gate, I couldn't help wondering how many people had seen us do all that. However, it didn't get to me. I realized it would be best if we just gave away hints of our relationship instead of everything at once.

Chad wouldn't tell me where we were going; he only promised we'd eat something. And that was enough for me, because I was starving. I didn't eat much at lunch and I started experiencing the effects of it; my stomach kept rumbling like crazy. I only hoped Chad couldn't hear it.

'Ta-da!' he said when we stopped in front of a McDonald's restaurant. I looked up and giggled.

'Wow… Gotta say, I'm not surprised' I said jokingly. He laughed and nodded his head.

'I know, I know… But I'm broke and hungry' he said while opening the door for me. 'I promise when we're old enough for people not to give us funny looks… and when I can afford it, I'll take you to a fancy place and we'll eat all those plates with the names an average American can't pronounce.'

I giggled and walked inside. 'I hope you'll keep your promise.'

'I will' he assured and pushed the hood off his head. I did the same and we looked around the almost empty restaurant. I finally spotted a perfect, sort of private booth by the window and tugged on Chad's sleeve.

'Over there' I said pointing at it. He nodded his head and we went to sit at that table.

'Alright, what should I get?' he asked, placing his backpack on the seat and taking his jacket off.

'The usual' I replied. He nodded his head with a smile.

'You got it.'

He walked towards the register and I stayed at the table. I took my jacket off and placed in on top of my backpack. I pulled the hoody's long sleeves over my hands to warm them up a little. My eyes travelled back to Chad, who was still taking the order. I can't really explain this, but I just loved to watch him do even the most pedestrian things; he was always positive and smiling, basically infecting everyone with his good mood. Being around him could make the worst days better. Our relationship has really developed over the course of almost three and a half months and so did my feelings towards him. It sucks to admit it, but I was slowly falling for him more and more.

Chad brought the tray with our food and put two straws into the cup with coke. I picked up my burger, unwrapped it and took a bite. Chad did the same, except half of his burger was gone. When I finally finished my burger, he was done with his second and munching on the fries. I wiped my mouth with a napkin, took a sip of coke and cleared my throat.

'How can you eat this fast?' I asked. Chad smiled.

'Practice makes perfect' he answered. I nodded my head and took one fry out of the box.

'Impressing. You eat so much, yet you're still fit.'

'Yeah, well having two hours of practice almost every day plus sports on the weekends does its thing' he explained and moved the fries closer to me.

'What are you doing, keep eating' I said. He wiped his fingers and shook his head.

'Nah, you eat this. I think I'm full' he said before taking a sip of our drink. I shrugged.

'Fine. I'm still kinda hungry' I said and put a fry in my mouth. 'I haven't eaten lunch at school today, so I'm glad we came here. Knowing Destiny, she didn't cook or order anything to eat, so I'd die at home.'

'Well, my mom's coming home around 6pm, so I won't have anything to eat either… Hey, is it weird I ate lunch at school and two burgers and I'm still kinda hungry?'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Are you really?'

'Yeah… I was full at school, but then I was hungry after practice.'

I giggled. 'Where do you fit all that?'

'It all goes into those things' he said and jokingly flexed his bicep. I shook my head at him and he laughed. 'Okay, but I'll have you know that a healthy eating life style is 5 meals a day.'

'Do you actually follow that?'

'Yeah. I eat breakfast, then I eat another breakfast at school, then I eat lunch at school, then I come home and eat dinner and then I eat a snack…' he explained. I nodded my head.

'Aren't those supposed to be like optimized amounts of food? Or do you just stuff your face every time you eat?'

'Hmm, it really depends' he said and I giggled. 'No, but in all seriousness, I think I'm still hungry…'

'Here' I said taking out a fry and holding it in front of his face. He smiled and took it in his mouth.

'Thanks, but you eat this. I'll go get another burger.'

'Fine, more for me' I said and put one in my mouth. Chad chuckled before getting up and making his way to order another burger. I took a sip of our drink and looked around. There weren't many people inside, so it was a perfect place for a little date-after-school-thing. I looked out of the window to see it was still raining pretty heavily. I hoped it'd be done by the time we had to leave.

Chad returned a moment later. I watched him unwrap the burger and pick it up.

'Oh no' he said and frowned. 'I forgot to ask for no pickles.'

I took the burger out of his hands, opened it, took 3 pieces of pickles out, ate them, reassembled the burger and handed it back to him. He smiled.

'Thanks, Tay.'

'Anytime' I replied smiling at him.

'So, what time do you have to be home?' he asked before taking a bite. I shook my head.

'I don't really have to be back at any certain time… I'm alone all afternoon, so it doesn't really matter.'

'Wanna come over to my place?' he asked. 'We could study or something… So you don't get lonely.'

I smiled. 'You know, I actually don't mind being by myself sometimes…'

'So you don't wanna hang out with me?' he asked and pouted. I laughed.

'Hey, I didn't say no' I said. He raised his eyebrows.

'So that means...?'

'Of course I'd love to hang out with you for the rest of the day' I said and smiled at him. Chad smiled back.

'Awesome.'

Chad was finishing his burger, while I took a sip of coke and looked behind him, at the door. There was a couple approaching, who I recognized as a girl from the Drama Club and a guy who graduated the previous year with Tony. My eyes widened.

'Oh no' I whispered. Chad heard it and turned around to see who I was looking at. He turned to me.

'What's wrong?'

'That girl goes to our school!' I said.

'So?'

'She'll see us! Together!' I whispered. Chad chuckled.

'Maybe it's not a bad thing' he said and took a sip of our drink. I gave him a surprised look, but was cut off by the couple walking up to our table.

'Chad, what's up?' the guy said. Chad got up and shook his hand.

'I'm good man, how's it going?' he asked. The guy smiled and shrugged.

'It's alright… Been sleeping the days away, studying at night… How's life at East High? You still in the team?'

'Yeah, pretty much' Chad replied. The guy chuckled.

'Coach would never let you leave, huh?' he asked. Chad smiled and nodded his head.

'Probably not' he replied. 'Speaking of coach, you guys know Taylor, right?'

I raised my eyebrows at the way he introduced me. The guy looked at me, then back at Chad and then back at me.

'Yeah, of course' he said smiling. 'I'm Rob and this is Jenny.'

'Hey' the girl smiled at me. I smiled back.

'Did you hear from Tony?' Rob asked.

'Umm, not really…' I replied. 'He hasn't called since he left.'

'Classic Tony. He probably thinks that now that he's in New York, he's a big shot' he said jokingly. I giggled.

'Probably, yeah. Sounds like something he'd do' I admitted. He guy smiled at me and looked at Chad.

'It was great seeing you guys, but I see you're kinda busy… and we're kinda busy too, so we'll get going.'

Chad laughed and nodded his head. 'I'll see you guys around.'

They said bye to us for the last time and made their way towards the register. Chad sat down and looked at me.

'Was that so bad?' he asked. I rolled my eyes.

'You know this is the end, right? They had seen us.'

'Come on, Rob won't tell anybody and Jen's cool, I'm pretty sure she doesn't gossip.'

'I don't mean gossiping, but what if the next time she sees you and tells her friends "Oh guys, guess what. I saw Chad with Tony's nerdy sister"? Then everyone will know.'

Chad chuckled and shook his head. 'Okay, everyone will know. What's so bad about that?'

'Well… well' I stuttered, trying to find a good reason. 'Everyone will know and that's scary.'

'And was it scary when we were being pretty obvious in front of the school today?' he asked. I stared at him for a long moment.

'I don't know, Chad… I don't know what I want' I said and looked down. He smiled and took my hands in his.

'Tay, listen' he told me and I looked up at him. 'I know I told you this a million times, but I will repeat it once again. Everything will be okay. Nothing will happen. I promise.'

I stared into his eyes, not knowing what to tell him. His promise meant a lot to me and I really wanted to fully trust him on this, but I also had my reasons not to. I just didn't want to have that conversation there and at that moment, so I stayed quiet.

'Your hair is wet' he pointed out, directing my attention to the lock of my hair, which must have slipped out from under the hood. I touched it and shrugged with a weak smile.

'It's nothing' I said, looking back at him. I realized some of his locks were also wet. I reached for one of them and pulled it gently to make it straight. 'Yours is wet too.'

'Damn' he said as he took the lock from me and examined it, making a funny face. 'Looks like I could use a hair tie.'

I slightly rolled up a sleeve of the hoody, revealing my wrist with two hair ties on it. I pulled one off and handed it to him.

'Thanks' he said and tied his hair up. I smiled.

'You look cute' I told him. He smirked.

'Said the Cutie Queen herself' he replied. I blushed and looked down.

'Oh please, I look awful… I'm dead tired, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing a male hoody…' I said and shoved my hands in the pockets of the hoody. Chad shook his head.

'I think you look amazing in it' he said and I looked up at him. 'In anything really.'

I smiled and looked down. 'You should know I'm keeping this, because it's the warmest thing I've ever worn.'

'Fine' he said with a smile.

We sat there until Chad finished our drink, got dressed and left. We walked pretty fast, because the rain was still pouring from the sky. We decided to first stop by my house, so I could leave my backpack there and check if Destiny left yet.

I lead him to the back door and we walked in.

'Destiny?' I called. Chad closed the door behind us and looked around.

'Over here!' she called from the living room. I sighed and made my way towards her. Chad followed me.

'Des?' I called, looking around. She ran out of the living room and put her hands on my shoulders.

'Thank God you're here' she said and looked at Chad, who was behind me. 'Take your brother home.'

Chad raised his eyebrows. 'Charlie's here?'

'Yeah' Destiny replied and motioned for us to follow her to the living room. 'You mother left him with me, because she had to go to work. It was something urgent and she needed to be there. But she's not coming back and I need to get going – I have an appointment in 30 minutes.'

'Right' Chad said, nodding his head. He spotted Charlie sitting in his carrier on the couch and walked up to him. 'What's up, buddy?'

Charlie looked up at him and sucked on his pacifier. Chad took his wet jacket off, put it on the couch and picked his baby brother up. I smiled at them.

'I need you guys to take care of him until Ms. Rossi returns from work, okay?' Destiny asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, we'll do our best' I said. 'Although, neither of us has any experience.'

'I'm sure Chad knows how to deal with Charlie' she said, putting her jacket on. Chad walked up to us, still holding Charlie in his arms.

'Okay, let's say I do' he said. Destiny rolled her eyes.

'It's really not a big deal. You just let him lie there and if he cries, pick him up and give him a hug until he stops… Repeat and repeat. Besides, he's just eaten, has just been changed and just woke up. He shouldn't be grumpy.'

'I'll take your word for it' Chad said and gently rubbed his brother's back. Destiny smiled and carefully rubbed Charlie's head.

'Bye, little buddy' she told him and turned to me. 'If you need anything, just call me… But try not to.'

I smiled and nodded my head. 'Yeah, I get it.'

'Okay, see you guys. Tell Ms. Rossi I'm sorry' she said and was about to walk away, when she turned to me once again. 'Hey Taylor, nice hoody. It's not _male_ by any chance, is it?'

I saw the smirk on my sister's face and shook my head. She laughed and headed to the door. When I heard it close, I looked at Chad.

'Does she like me?' he asked. I nodded my head.

'She does, don't worry. She just loves teasing me like that' I explained and looked at Charlie. Him and Chad were chest to chest and his little head was on Chad's shoulder. I gently stroked his back.

'Should we take him to my place?' Chad asked. I nodded my head.

'We probably should. We can wait for your mom there' I told him.

'Okay then. I hope you know how to dress a baby.'

'I've done it a few times.'

It took us a while, but we finally managed to get Charlie's jacket on without hurting him. I put a cap on his head and Chad tucked him in under a blanket and put him in the baby carrier. He put his jacket on and he hurried out of my house, sheltering Charlie from the falling rain. I grabbed the bag with Charlie's stuff, locked the door and followed them to the Danforth house. Chad pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his house.

'Finally' he said, carefully placing the carrier on the kitchen table. 'We're home, bro.'

I came in behind them and closed the door. 'Did you miss it that much?'

'Not when I'm with you' he said with a smile. I walked up to him and pecked his cheek.

'I promised you some kisses, didn't I?' I asked. Chad smirked and nodded his head.

'Plenty.'

'Let's get Charlie out of this "cocoon" first, before he starts crying' I told him, placing the bag on the floor and unwrapped little Charlie from the blanket. Chad sighed and helped me.

After Charlie's cap and jacket were off, we placed him back in the carrier. I took him to the living room, while Chad carried the baby stuff bag upstairs. I placed Charlie's carrier on the coffee table and sat on the couch, in front of him. He stared at me, sucking on the pacifier that was clipped to his tiny T-shirt. He was constantly moving his little sock-covered feet, which should have been the first clue he was going to be hyperactive once he was bigger, but of course no one suspects a calm baby to grow up to be a live wire.

I reached for his hand and gently stroked it with my finger. He glanced at my hand and moved his tiny little fingers around so he could grab my finger. I looked at his face and smiled. He stared at me for a moment before smiling himself. It was the most beautiful view I've ever seen; there's nothing better than a 6 week old baby smiling at you. I gently shook my finger, so he could feel it moving and make his hand move. He must have liked that, because his smile became a little wider.

'Okay, I'm back' Chad announced walking into the room. I didn't take my eyes off Charlie.

'Chad, he's smiling' I said quietly. Chad sat next to me and smiled.

'Yeah, he started doing that last week… My mom and I were sitting here and I was tickling his foot and he smiled for the first time' he explained proudly.

'He's so adorable' I said. Chad sat closer to me.

'Why don't you just hug him?' he asked. 'He loves that.'

'I don't think I should…' I replied. Chad chuckled and reached for Charlie.

'Come here, bro' he said and picked him up. He gave him a kiss on the cheek and looked at me. 'Come on, take him and hold him like I always do.'

I nodded my head, carefully took Charlie from him and placed him on my chest, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. Chad smiled at us.

'Just like that.'

'He's so small' I said and lightly stroked Charlie's back. He shifted once before relaxing in my arms. Chad leaned his head on the backrest and stared at us.

'He likes you.'

'How can you tell?'

'Well, he's not crying… And you smell nice, so he must love it' he assured with a smile. I giggled and looked at him.

'He is the cutest.'

'Yeah, when he's not crying' Chad replied with a chuckle. 'Hey, can I take a picture of you guys? It looks cute.'

'Sure.'

Chad pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and snapped a few pictures. Then he showed them to me. Charlie had his head turned towards Chad and his eyes were closed as if he was about to fall asleep. I smiled,

'Awww, he's so adorable' I said. Chad nodded his head.

'You both are pretty cute' he said and winked at me. I giggled and looked at Charlie.

A moment later Chad decided it'd be best if we turned the TV on, but he turned the sound down so Charlie could take a nap in my arms. We sat there for maybe 15 minutes, before we heard the door open and Ms. Rossi walked into the living room.

'So that's where you kids are' she said and sighed with relief. 'I went to McKessies' house, but no one was there. I just called you, Chad. Why didn't you answer?'

'Shoot, I had it on silent the whole time' he said and checked his phone. 'Yeah, I've got a missed call from you, Ma. I'm sorry.'

'Never mind, I'm glad I found you' she said. Ms. Rossi took her jacket off and hung it over an armchair's backrest. 'How come you're here? Where's Destiny?'

'She had to leave for her doctor's appointment' I explained. 'She told me to tell you she was sorry that she had to leave Charlie with us, but she had to run.'

'Oh, tell her not to worry, Taylor. I was supposed to get out of work at four o'clock, but my client wouldn't let me leave my office before I explained everything to him 5 times' she complained. 'Can you please tell her I'm sorry I left her with Charlie for that long?'

'Of course, Ms. Rossi' I replied. She smiled.

'How was Charlie?' she asked.

'He's in a good mood' Chad told her. 'Right now he realized Taylor's a good bed and won't let her go.'

Ms. Rossi giggled and nodded her head. 'Well, I'm glad he wasn't problematic, because it wouldn't be good for you or for him. Have you eaten?'

'Yes, we had' Chad answered.

'Okay. Son, I'll need you to go to the basement and bring some cookies for our guest' Chad's mother told him. He got up and I shook my head.

'No need, Ms. Rossi. I'm fine' I assured. She smiled.

'Taylor, we rarely have guests, therefore we don't get to eat those cookies too often. And they're really good' she replied with a wink. I giggled and nodded my head.

'Okay, I get it.'

She nodded her head at Chad, who smiled and made his way to the basement. Ms. Rossi walked up to me and Charlie and looked at him.

'Well done, Taylor. He's sound asleep. You have to tell me your secret' she said jokingly. I smiled and looked at Charlie.

'Beginner's luck, I guess' I answered. She put her hand on my shoulder.

'Babies feel everything. They can sense when you're stressed or angry. You must emit some positive energy, that's why he's so relaxed' she explained.

'Yeah, I don't let the weather ruin my mood' I replied and she laughed.

'I'm glad you're in a good mood, I just hope you're warm' she said and rubbed my arm. That's when I realized I was still wearing her son's hoody. I blushed and looked down.

'Yes. Yes, I am' I assured. She smiled.

'Good. I'll go get us all something to drink.'

Ms. Rossi walked to the kitchen, leaving me all alone in the room with Charlie. I looked at him.

Did this mean all Danforths accepted me as Chad's girlfriend? I didn't know. All I knew was that was the moment when Charlie and I became buddies for a long, long time.

Taylor M.


	30. Chapter 30

I rushed into the school and headed straight to my locker. I had only 5 minutes before the bell rung and I had to get to my first period that day. I sighed and stopped in front of my locker.

I wasn't usually late for school… Actually, I never was. And I probably wouldn't have been late that morning, if I hadn't spent half the night on the phone with Chad. He called me up to ask what's up and before we realized it, we were talking about letting everyone know about us. He brought it up by a joke and we ended up having a heated discussion about it. He kept trying to convince me to do it, while I had my doubts. We talked until about 1am and I was pretty tired, that's probably why I finally agreed with him. He was really excited about that and decided to let me go to sleep. However, we haven't exactly discussed just how we would let people know about us. That's why I was in a weird mood; I knew what I told Chad about being ready to tell everyone wasn't completely true. I hoped he wouldn't just jump into it too soon.

I opened my locker and took a look at my schedule, which was glued to the door. Then I reached for my Math textbook and placed it in my backpack. I picked up the English textbook and quickly listed through the pages to check something.

'Hey Taylor' a familiar voice greeted me. I turned around and saw Chad approaching with his friends. I smiled weakly and looked back into my locker.

'Hey.'

He leaned against the locker next to mine and stared at my face. 'You okay?' he asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, just a little tired' I replied, glancing at his two buddies standing behind us and checking out some girls that just passed by. Chad nodded his head and looked into my locker.

'I told you I could walk to school with you' he reminded me. I shook my head.

'I know, but it wasn't necessary' I told him. 'I didn't want you to be late.'

'I wouldn't be late though' he said and smiled at me. I smiled back.

'Well, I couldn't know I'd eventually make it on time' I pointed out. He chuckled and pushed himself off the locker and stood behind me.

'So, what do you have first?' he asked. I closed my locker and turned to face him.

'Math.'

'Aww, sucks' he replied, scrunching his nose. I giggled and nodded my head.

'Sort of, yeah.'

'Want me to walk you to class?' he offered. I shook my head with a smile.

'No need, my class is right there' I said, pointing behind him. He sighed.

'Damn…' he whispered. I smiled and fixed my backpack on my shoulders.

'Can I get to class now?' I asked, because he was sort of blocking my way. Chad smiled at me.

'Is anyone looking?' he asked. I stared at him before glancing at the people walking around the corridor and looked back at him.

'Yeah…' I replied. The corridor was filled with people. It's not as if they were staring or anything, but people discreetly kept watching us talk to each other. My eyes actually met some of those people's, especially those who I recognized, most of them being girls. Chad smirked.

'Are you sure?' he asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, it's pretty obvious' I replied, unconsciously making my tone irritated. Before I could even ask why he was so curious about other people, he caught me off guard by pressing his lips against mine. I stood there in shock. My eyes opened wide and all I could see was the side of Chad's face and people now totally staring at us. I had two possibilities; _one_ was to push Chad off me and run away to escape everyone's looks and my _second_ option was to act cool. I really wanted to go with the first one, but I thought Chad knew what he was doing and I decided to play along. I closed my eyes and placed my hand on his cheek, pulling him closer. Finally he pulled away and smiled at me.

'I'll see you later' he said with a wink and walked away with his buddies. I watched him go and looked around the corridor. I kid you not, everything and everyone had _stopped_. When they realized I saw them staring, they went back to whatever it was they were doing. I sighed deeply, hung my head down and headed to class, avoiding people's glares.

When I got to class, I saw Gaby already sitting down at our usual desk. I walked towards her, staring at the floor. I wondered how soon all those people would find out, if they haven't already. I dropped on the chair with a sigh, which made my best friend turn to me.

'Hey Taylor!' she greeted. I just nodded my head. 'Where have you been?'

I glanced up to check if anyone was looking before I reached to my backpack and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. I quickly scribbled "Chad just kissed me in the hallway" and discreetly handed it to her. She took a look at it and her eyes widened.

'Whaat?' she gasped. I rolled my eyes and nudged her.

'Shhhh, not so loud' I begged. She looked at the paper and back at me in utter shock.

'Did he really?' she whispered. I nodded my head and sighed.

'Yeah.'

'What now?' she asked.

'I don't know. But every single person in that corridor saw it happen' I replied and looked down. Gaby rubbed my arm.

'Hey, why are you like this?' she asked. I shrugged.

'Everyone saw us, Gaby. They just stared at me after he left and it felt terrible… I swear they all hate me now.'

Gaby shook her head. 'Stop that, you're overreacting. Just act cool and see what happens. You can't just assume everyone hates you.'

'You didn't see the way they looked at me' I pointed out dramatically. She smiled.

'Trust me, I know how it feels…' she assured and looked up to see the teacher already at her desk. She sat up and I did the same. 'We'll talk about this later, Tay. Now just pretend nothing happened and focus on Math.'

'_Easy to say_' I thought and sighed. I took my Math notebook out of my backpack and placed it in front of me. I finally looked up at the teacher and, surprisingly, no one was looking at me. However, I knew some of the people in the room saw what happened and they would eventually tell their friends and then everyone would find out. I rubbed my forehead and looked down at the equations in my notebook. Suddenly quadratic function became gibberish to me. I decided it'd be best to stare at the board and copy off of it and make up dramatic scenarios in my head while pretending to be listening. Now that I think about it, I was a weird kid.

When the period was over, I quickly made my way to my locker and basically pushed my head deep inside it, hoping it looked as if I was searching for something. I guessed people would fall for it or at least wouldn't bother to wonder why that weirdo was sleeping in her locker. Gaby stood next to me, occasionally telling me to cut it off.

'Tay, it's been 5 minutes' she said after checking her watch for the 10th time already. 'You need to stop.'

'I'm looking for my eraser' I said quietly. Gabriella rolled her eyes and gently slapped my shoulder.

'Get out of there before someone takes the chance and pushes you inside' she told me.

'Could you find someone who'd be willing to do that?' I asked. She sighed.

'Seriously, get out.'

'No.'

'Taylor.'

'You can't make me.'

'Are you going to stay here until the bell?' she asked. I thought about it.

'I'll get out when there will be like five people left in this hallway' I said.

'Is she okay?' I heard a familiar voice ask. Gaby sighed again.

'I'm not sure anymore' she replied. The person chuckled and I recognized them as Scott.

'Hey, you need anything in there?' he asked me. I rolled my eyes.

'Yes, a little peace would be nice' I told him, the echo of my voice filling the metal locker.

'Taylor, people are staring' Gaby said. I sighed, pulled my head out of my locker and looked at them. Scott smiled.

'Hello there' he greeted. I smiled weakly and closed my locker.

'Hey' I replied.

'What happened?' he asked.

'Oh, Taylor is dramatizing because-' Gaby was about to tell him everything, but I cut her off.

'Nothing happened' I said and glared at Gaby. 'Everything's fine.'

'Alright, if you say so' he said nodding his head. He pushed his hands into his pocket and he flipped his head to move a lock of hair out of his eyes. Scott had that kind of messy hairdo, but messy in a cute way. He always either brushed his hand through his hair or did a hair flip to get rid of the hair in his eyes. It was cute in a way… at least that's what the girls liked.

'Yeah, don't worry about it' Gaby added. 'Everything is good.'

'Okay' he said and looked at me. 'Chad was looking for you.'

'Can you tell him I'll see him after school?' I asked. He nodded his head.

'Yeah, no problem. I'll tell him' he said with a smile. 'Oh, I almost forgot. Are we still up for that French thing today?'

'Yeah, we are. I'll see you at lunch?' I asked.

'Yup.'

I smiled. 'Great.'

'See you guys later' he told us and walked away. Gaby looked at me.

'What "French thing"?' she asked. I rolled my eyes.

'He's gonna help me do my homework' I explained.

'Oh, okay. Because I thought it could be something else' she said and winked at me playfully. I shook my head.

'Stop it. I'm not like that' I said seriously. 'Besides, I have a boyfriend.'

'Where is he now? And why do you want to see him after school? Why don't you want to see him earlier?' she wondered. I sighed and leaned against my locker.

'It's complicated.'

'Tell me' she said. I looked around and saw the corridor was kinda empty.

'Yesterday we talked on the phone for a very long time. He brought up this whole thing about telling everyone and said we should let everyone know. And you know me, I didn't want to do it. So I kept telling him it was a bad idea, but he kept trying to convince me to do it. I didn't want to start arguing with him, so I just said okay. He took it as an approval and I knew that. I just had no idea he'd decide to let everyone know _like that.'_

'Haven't you discussed it?'

'No, we haven't. And that's the problem' I said and sighed. 'I'm upset and I know I'll eventually confront him about this, but I just don't want to do it right now. And I most certainly don't want to pretend everything's okay, because it isn't.'

Gaby nodded her head. 'I understand. Why haven't you just told him you weren't ready?'

'Because I'm stupid, I don't know! I really wanted to make him stop worrying about this. I thought I'd say yes and he'd let it go and we'd come back to it later. I had no idea what he was planning. I mean, he should've told me.'

'Yeah, I agree' she said and the bell rung. 'Come on, get to class. I'll see you in lunch.'

I nodded my head and we parted ways. I was glad I told Gaby how I felt, because it was good practice before talking to Chad about it. I knew it wasn't all his fault; that if I told him loud and clear I wasn't ready, he wouldn't do anything. However, I still felt upset. I was kind of disappointed, because I always imagined he'd first tell me how he'd want to let everyone know. And he hadn't.

I hadn't really spoken to anyone that day. I sat at my desk and minded my own business, not really caring if anyone knew or not yet. I doodled some weird shapes in my notebooks and while thinking about the conversation I'd have to have with Chad and how it would affect us as a couple. I know it wasn't a big deal, but knowing me I would just say something and ruin everything. That's what I was scared of.

I stopped at my locker, this time not to hid inside, but to leave my books. Sitting in class and thinking everything through made me get my shit together and pretend nothing ever happened… or at least try to. I walked down the hall with my chin up, greeting everyone who greeted me first. That was a good sign, right? At least some people weren't giving me funny looks.

I stopped at the entrance to the cafeteria and took a look around. My eyes searched for Gaby, to know where I could sit and for Chad to know which table I had to avoid. I spotted them both, sitting away from each other. Chad's table was closer to the entrance, but completely across the room. I looked down and quickly walked along the wall, hoping he wouldn't see me. I walked up to Gaby, who was sitting all alone and sat next to her.

'Do you think he saw me?' I asked. She stared at me before understanding what I meant.

'No, I really doubt it' she replied and bit her sandwich. I sighed and rested my head on the table. 'So, how was your day?'

'What do you mean?' I mumbled into the table. Gaby shrugged.

'Did anything happen? Were your predictions right? Did they start boycotting you everywhere you went?' she asked jokingly. I looked up at her.

'Don't.'

'Oh come on, you're only upset because I'm right. Nothing happened and nothing's gonna happen' she assured. 'What are you scared of? The revenge of ex-girlfriends?'

I rested my elbows on the desk, supporting my head face in my hands. 'Maybe.'

'And what are they going to do to you?'

'I don't know, but it'll probably be something classic, like… spreading rumors about me… or turning everyone against me…'

'Or chasing you down the street with pitchforks' she added jokingly. I sighed and rested my head on the table once again.

'I'm done talking to you' I mumbled, which made her laugh.

'Seriously Tay, chin up. Nothing's going to happen. You're overreacting.'

'Then let me overreact like a friend would do' I mumbled.

'Yeah, a friend would' she admitted. 'But I'm your best friend and I don't want you to be this way only because you think some crazy cheerleaders may or may not be planning to lynch you as soon as you leave this building.'

I turned my head and looked at her. She smiled at me.

'Come on, you've got an awesome boyfriend and you should embrace it' she said and proudly straightened her back. 'Let them know you're the only one he cares about.'

'I guess you're right' I said and lifted my head off the table. 'But can I start tomorrow? Today I want to be grumpy.'

'Fine' she said and picked up her sandwich. I sighed, put my elbow on the table and rested my head on my palm.

'Gabs, I also need some advice…' I said quietly and played with a paper napkin that was lying on the table. Gaby nodded her head.

'What's up?'

'What would you do… If you were still dating Troy… And a guy you just met… Who knows nothing about you… Asked you out?'

Gaby raised her eyebrows. 'Taylor, what happened?'

I sighed. 'Scott asked me out the other day…'

'And you said…?'

'What do you think?' I asked and glanced at her. 'Of course I said no, because I had a boyfriend.'

'Wait, so you told him about you and-'

'Yes' I replied, cutting her off. I looked around to check if no one was close enough to hear this conversation. 'I had to tell him.'

'And what did he say?'

'He just… He apologized for doing so, but I told him it was okay because he couldn't have known about… Him and I. And he asked if we could still be friends and I said yeah and that's it.'

Gaby nodded her head. 'Okay, so why do you need advice?'

'Because… I don't know if I should tell Chad' I said quietly and sat up. 'Scott asked me to keep it a secret, only because he didn't want to lose the only friends he had here… He was afraid that Chad might completely flip out.'

'Well, I see why he would… I mean, another guy asking you out this year? And this time he was cute' Gaby said jokingly. I shook my head.

'I'm serious, Gabriella. I don't know what I should do.'

'Hmm… Even though it's not a big deal, because you rejected Scott and he also asked you to keep it all a secret, I think you should tell him' she told me.

'Are you sure? What if he freaks out and gets mad at Scott? He'll exclude him from their group and Scott will end up all alone, only because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.'

'Come on Tay, I'm sure Chad won't freak out about this… Plus, if you tell him what you told me, meaning that Scott apologized and promised you'd stay friends, he'll definitely understand and won't get mad about it.'

I sighed and looked down at the table. 'I don't know…'

'Come on, give him some credit! He doesn't seem like a guy who gets mad easily.'

'But I don't know him that way… I don't really know him as a boyfriend' I explained and looked at her. She smiled and put her hand on top of mine.

'That's why you need to talk to him. I mean, there's no other way to get to know him.'

I nodded my head and she took her hand away. I looked down and thought about everything she told me. She was completely right. All I had to do was tell Chad the truth and see how he would handle it. Sitting down and worrying about it wasn't going to change anything.

'Hey, are those seats taken?' someone asked. I looked up and saw two girls we both knew from Chemistry Club, Kristen and Lindsay.

'No' Gaby replied. 'Come on, sit with us.'

They smiled and sat in front of us. I smiled weakly at them both and looked down at my lap. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone.

'How come you guys are sitting all by yourselves?' Lindsay asked. 'You always sit with the basketball guys.'

'Oh, they didn't have any space left at their table, so we sat here' Gaby explained. 'Plus, we can always use some privacy for a little girls talk.'

The three of them giggled, while I kept staring down.

'Taylor, you okay?' Kristen asked me. I looked up at her and nodded my head.

'Yeah, I'm just… Tired, that's all. Sorry' I said and sat up, trying to make it seem like I was going to engage in their conversation. Lindsay smiled at me.

'Hey, by the way, why haven't you told us about you and Chad Danforth?' she asked. I raised my eyebrows.

'What.. What do you mean?'

'Oh, I heard you were seen kissing him this morning' she explained. 'Is that true, or were those just rumors?'

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked away from them. _So, what do I tell her? Do I tell her the truth? After all, everyone saw it. I can't really lie about it now. _

'Yeah, that's true' I admitted. She smirked.

'Well done, Taylor. You got that basketball cutie every girl is in love with' she said jokingly. I giggled.

'I guess I got lucky…' I said innocently, which made them laugh.

'Wait, so how long have you guys been together?' Kristen asked. I remembered about the official "school version" of our relationship and decided I better stick to that.

'Oh, you know… He's been trying to get my attention since the end of summer, so I guess it… just happened. It's really hard to tell' I explained. She nodded her head.

'Wow, how do you just do that?' Lindsay asked, sounding kind of amazed. 'First you and then you… How do you get to have those guys, who most girls would kill for?'

Gaby and I laughed and shrugged. Kristen looked at me.

'So that means Danforth is off the market?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yes, he is.'

'Is he as dumb as we thought? she asked. I giggled and shook my head.

'Surprisingly, he's not dumb at all.'

'Hey, you guys know that new guy, right?' Lindsay asked. Kristen nudged her gently.

'His name is Scott' she told her. Lindsay nodded her head.

'Yeah, Scott' she repeated. 'You guys know anything about his relationship status?'

Gaby glanced and me before clearing her throat. 'From what we know, he's single. Why?'

'Because Kristen is interested' she said with a smile. Kristen blushed and shook her head.

'Not _interested_ interested, but just… curious' she explained. Gaby smirked.

'He's cute, isn't he?' she asked. Kristen nodded her head.

'He really is…' she said and smiled dreamily. 'His hair, his smile, his gray eyes…'

'Why don't you just talk to him?' I asked her. Her smile disappeared.

'I can't just go up to him… I mean, what would I say?'

'Oh, Scott's a really nice guy. Just initiate a conversation about something chemistry related while we're in Chemistry Club and that's it. And then you'll know if he's interested or not' I advised. She sighed.

'Easy for you to say. You were brave enough to kiss Chad Danforth in front of everybody… I don't know if I could do that' she said. I looked down and thought about what she said. Gaby saw I needed a moment, so she stepped in.

'Hey, don't say that' she told her and smiled. 'I mean, if we could talk to basketball cuties, so can you.'

While the girls continued their conversation about "basketball cuties", I sat there thinking about Kristen's words. She didn't know the truth; I wasn't brave at all. He was the one who was brave enough to kiss me. I just stood there. And now I was scared of everyone's reactions. Kristen was much braver than me, because she knew what she wanted; she knew she wanted Scott and wasn't worrying about people's opinions, like I was. And suddenly I became her role model. I bit my lips; I wasn't brave at all.

I looked up and saw Scott approaching us. That's when I remembered him and I had the "French thing". I cleared my throat, which made the girls stop talking and look at me. A second later Scott was standing next to our table.

'Hey girls' he greeted with a smile. We all smiled at him.

'Hey Scott' Kristen said suddenly. He looked down at her and his smile became even wider.

'Hey there, Kristen' he said and looked at me. 'So, French?'

'Yeah' I replied and got up, picking up my bag from the floor. 'Let's go. I'll see you guys later.'

They waved to me and Scott and I made our way out of the cafeteria.

We spent the whole period in the library. Most of the time he was explaining French to me, the rest was us talking about random things. I knew I was supposed to stay away from him, but since he agreed to help me out with French, I couldn't be an a-hole and not talk to him. And talking to him was really fun. He was a really funny guy, so most of our conversation was just me laughing at his jokes. I also remembered to ask him whether he was looking for a girlfriend, which turned out to be an awkward question. He looked at me and chuckled, but replied he wasn't. I told him there was a girl who asked about him, but I didn't tell him who it was. He told me to tell her she "could hit him up anytime she liked". I guess I had good news for Kristen.

My next period after lunch was English. That's when I knew everyone already found out about Chad and I; I just felt it. People kept looking at me, which wasn't a surprise. I felt relieved when Ms. Johnson said we'd be writing a book report in class, because that meant I wouldn't have to interact with anyone.

I finished writing quite early and stared at my paper. I read it back and forth and I found no mistakes I could fix. I could just get up, turn it in and leave, but I didn't feel like it. First of all, I still had to stay for the practice, so I didn't want to walk around the hallway by myself. Second of all, if I got up, everyone would just stop writing and stare at me. Was I overreacting? Maybe someone was staring at me already. I hesitated before taking a fast look around the room and saw everyone had their eyes glued to their papers. Even Ms. Johnson was busy doing something. Great, I was overreacting. I sighed quietly and stared at my paper. All I could do was sit there and wait for the bell.

Suddenly, the door opened. I looked up and saw a girl, probably a freshman, standing at the door. She greeted Ms. Johnson and handed her a piece of paper. Ms. Johnson thanked her and the girl left. She stared at the paper before looking around the classroom. I instantly looked down at my book report, trying to seem like I was still writing.

'Taylor McKessie?' Ms. Johnson called. When I heard my name, my heart started beating like crazy. It wasn't only that I didn't like having my name called out in public, but I was also pretending to be invisible. She ruined it all.

I took a deep breath and looked up. 'Yes?'

'Pack your things and visit the office' she told me. I nodded my head, picked my paper and pen up from the desk, grabbed my bag and made my way to her desk, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone else. I handed her my book report and she took a quick look at it.

'Have you finished it?' she asked, this time quietly, so only I could her. I nodded my head.

'Yes.'

'Alright, you're free to go' she told me and placed my work on her desk.

'Thank you, goodbye' I told her and made my way towards the door. Once I was outside, I took a deep breath.

As I made my way towards the office, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Why was I asked to show up there? Did I do something? Maybe something happened? Whatever it was, I was glad it forced me to leave the classroom before the bell.

I turned into the right corridor and stopped walking when I saw my sister sitting in front of the office. I raised my eyebrows and slowly approached her.

'Hey…' I said to her. She looked up at me and rose off her seat.

'Finally, Tay' she told me and picked up her purse. 'Come on, let's go.'

'Go where?' I asked. 'I can't leave, I'm at school.'

She rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry, I signed a note. Thank God Dad works here and people still remember me, otherwise I'd have to wait another 20 minutes for you.'

'Why… why did you do that?' I asked, still really confused. Destiny sighed and put her hand on my shoulder.

'Life would be a lot easier if you just stayed quiet and did what I told you to' she said with a smile. 'Come on, you're free to get out of here and you still oppose?'

I stared at her and thought about it. She was right, I had the opportunity to get out of school, which was all I wanted that day. It seemed as if Destiny popped out of nowhere just to help me out.

'Fine' I said. 'Let's go.'

We walked down the empty corridor in silence. While my sister kept looking around, curious of any changes that took place after she graduated, I hoped no one would randomly come out and stare at me. Yeah, yeah. My overreacting reached a maximum. But I couldn't help it. My anxiety was still pretty bad back then and the events of that day made my self-esteem drop radically.

'Ugh, a lot has changed, but it still brings back shitty memories…' Destiny told me. 'Let's get out of here, I don't wanna bump into any of the teachers.'

'Fine with me, I just gotta stop by my locker' I replied.

'So, what did I get you out of?' Destiny wondered when I stopped in front of my locker and opened it.

'English' I told her.

'Who do you have English with?'

'Ms. Johnson' I said and pulled two heavy textbooks out of my backpack. My sister winced.

'Damn, is she still wearing those pantsuits?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, most of the time' I answered and shut my locker. We continued walking towards the exit.

'I know a lot of teachers hated me, but she was like my arch nemesis…' she said. 'She just hated my guts and was never afraid to show it.'

'How come?'

'Oh, she always complained about my habit of talking back, ignoring commands, talking in class… Once we were having a paper ball fight between the periods and she walked back into the classroom with a full coffee mug and I guess my ball was heavy or something, because it fell straight into her mug and she spilled coffee all over her pantsuit…' Destiny said and smiled to herself. I gasped.

'No way!'

'Yeah, it happened… She wanted me suspended for two weeks, but Dad managed to get me out of it. And that made her hate me even more… She always asked me the tricky questions in front of everyone and put me in groups with people she knew I disliked… It was rough.'

I giggled. 'Wow, so that's why the first time I came to this school I heard a bunch of "I hope you're nothing like your brother or sister" talks? That explains a lot.'

'They told you that?' she asked with a smirk. 'Oh well, I'm not really surprised. Seriously though, she can't see me, because I'm sure she'd just make me stutter and feel like crap… Besides, if she sees me pregnant and not married nor engaged, she'll be satisfied and we can't let that happen.'

'Why would she judge you because of that?' I asked as I opened the door and walked outside. Destiny followed me and gave me a funny look.

'Why? Because she hates me and I used to make fun of her for not being in any kind of human relationship and I think she knew that… Is she still single?'

'I wouldn't know' I replied shrugging. 'Although, she doesn't have a ring on her finger.'

'Oh, time flies so fast and Ms. Johnson is still a lonely, bitter bitch' she said and reached to her purse to find the car keys. 'One day I gotta dress up and "accidentally" come over and see what she does when she sees me. I gotta get rid of this bump first.'

I smiled when my sister lovingly rubbed her round tummy. We stopped in front of the car and she unlocked it. I threw my backpack in the trunk and got in. I looked at my sister, who rested her purse against the steering wheel and searched through it.

'How come Dad let you take the car?' I asked. She kept digging through the contents of her purse.

'Cause I told him I needed it to get to work today' she explained as she pulled out lip-gloss from the bottom of it. I leaned my back on the seat and watched her purse her lips and apply the lip-gloss in the rearview mirror.

'And did you?' I asked. She put the lip-gloss down and gave me an offended look.

'Of course I did' she said seriously. 'Girl, unlike him, I can't just get my ass out of bed and walk to work. I have to get across the town and you can't possibly want me to walk on my two, exhausted by caring around a pregnant woman legs.'

'No, I meant like _did you go to work today_?' I cleared up. Her facial expression changed back to happy and she threw her purse into the back seat.

'Oh yeah, why do you think I look so good?' she asked as she started the car. 'I'm all business today.'

I smiled and looked out of the window. My sister was a little crazy, but she did teach me one important thing; to be confident. She was one of a very few people I knew who just saw themselves in the mirror and knew they looked good, which made them feel good. Most people would not be sure about their outfits and usually would need an opinion of a friend. But Destiny was different. She woke up and she told herself "today is business day and I need to look good". And she just did. That's what I really admired about her.

'Hey' I said and turned to her. 'You still haven't told me why you got me out of school.'

'Oh, that's easy. I got my paycheck today and we're going shopping for my Baby Boy' she said with a smile.

'What do you need me for?'

'I need you because I need a woman to be there and since I happen to be the only person with flexible working hours, I can't go with my friends or even Mom.'

'But I have school' I said. Destiny scoffed.

'Oh please! What are you gonna do there, huh? Listen to Johnson's speech on what she thinks the author meant or what he should have written instead? You'll get enough of that in life, but shopping for your nephew is a onetime thing.'

'Fine, fine' I gave up jokingly. 'Hey, didn't you say your friends wanted to throw you a baby shower?'

'Yeah, they did… But that's in a month or so… I just wanted to get him something… Or at least look at the prices of things, you know? I wanna know how much all that crap costs, so I can save up some money' she admitted. I smiled.

'What about all that "saving up for college" thing?' I asked. Destiny giggled.

'Damn, I gotta get him through childhood first. I'll start saving up for college when I have all the baby stuff figured out.'

I laughed and looked out of the window. Suddenly I was glad Destiny picked me up from school; I really felt the need to get out of there. Besides, I could use some fun to get my mind off all the things which bothered me.

Taylor M.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I know this was sort of late and I'm sorry. I really wanted to update before 2014, but I wasn't done with the chapter. Yesterday I finished it and saw I stopped at almost 12,000 words which was a surprise. I decided to divide it in two parts, otherwise it would be really anticlimactic. So yeah, here's the first part of that long ass chapter. :) I might update sooner this time, because I already have the next one written :)<strong>

**That's it for now! Happy New Year guys! :D**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys!**

**So, as I said, the previous chapter was divided in two parts. Here is the second one! :)**

**(notice how it's not late this time? xD)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>Destiny pulled up in a baby store parking lot and we got out of the car. She took her purse out and shut the door, then locked it. We headed towards the entrance and I couldn't help staring at the huge building in front of me. It seemed even bigger on the inside.<p>

'Where do we start?' I asked my sister. She pulled out a paper and took a look at it.

'I got a list of must-have things, which Mom helped me make… For now we're gonna be checking the prices of cribs, strollers and all that big stuff' she told me as we walked in an alley. I nodded my head.

'Fine, I'll keep an eye on those.'

I looked around and saw we were in an alley that was basically full of little things, like bottles, pacifiers, rattles etc. I shoved my hands in my pockets and carefully observed all those things. Soon our house would be full of those. I picked up a tiny rattle, which was shaped like a cute frog and shook it gently. The sound was rather soft, unlike normal rattles. I stared at it and wondered who was going to be the first person to slip on it and break their arm. I put it back and looked around in search of my sister. I found her by the strollers, talking to a lady about something. I thought it would take her sometime, so I continued to walk around a bit more.

I walked up to the opposite shelf and saw a lot of guidebooks for parents and books about babies and children in general. One of them caught my eye, which was titled Baby Names: Guides for New Parents. I picked it up and listed through it.

'What you got there?' someone asked. I looked up and saw Destiny standing next to me. I shrugged and looked back at the book.

'A book with baby names…' I said. 'Have you thought of one yet?'

'Yeah' she replied and leaned against the shelf. I looked at her.

'What is it?' I asked curiously. She sighed.

'I don't know, I haven't come up with one yet… It's hard picking the name, you know. I was thinking of giving him a name that would sound serious, but also a name which comes with a nickname… Like Eddie for Edward, or Robbie for Robert.'

I nodded my head. 'Robbie doesn't sound so bad… And Robert is better than Edward.'

'Yeah, I know… But they sound a little old, don't they?'

'So what? Name him what you want, it's your son.'

'I know, but still… It's just that all those names which are popular now don't really appeal to me… I don't wanna name my son Jacob, because everyone names their kid Jacob.'

'Okay, then I'm sure you'll think of something' I said, making her smile a little. 'Have you talked to Jerome about it?'

'Not really… The only thing we discussed was that there's no way in hell I'm naming my son Jerome Jr' she said and shook her head. I giggled.

'That might not be the best idea' I admitted and looked at the book I was still holding. 'So, do we take this?'

Destiny scoffed. 'No way, that's all on the Internet. Put it back and let's go.'

I did as she told me and we headed to the next alley. That one was filled with cribs. Destiny looked at a price tag and her eyes widened.

'This one is cute' I said, walking up to the crib she was standing next to. My sister shook her head.

'Unaffordable, that's what it is' she said and walked up to the next one. 'You know what, I might actually look for a crib online. Stuff usually costs less on the Internet.'

'That's true…' I admitted. 'How about the strollers' prices?'

'Unacceptable' she said and sighed. 'Maybe I could get something used… Ugh, I don't know. Why do all of these things cost so much?'

I put my hands in my pockets and stared at the crib. Having a child was an expensive challenge and it wasn't as easy as it seemed to me at first. The worst thing was that I personally could do nothing to help my sister out financially, which was the biggest help she needed then.

'Tay, you okay?' she asked suddenly. I looked at her and nodded my head.

'Yeah, I am… Why wouldn't I be?'

'I don't know, it's just that… Well, you don't look too cheerful today' she said and headed towards the next alley. I sighed.

'I'm fine' I told her as I followed her around the shelf. She stopped at baby clothes and raised an eyebrow.

'Is there anything you wanna talk about?' she asked. I was about to shake my head, but then I remembered about the whole day at school and sighed once again.

'Well… It's nothing that serious, really…' I admitted. 'It's stupid.'

'No, it's not. I can see it's bothering you, so let me hear it' she said and picked up a tiny, red T-shirt. I looked at my feet.

'Really, Destiny. I'm just being silly…' I said. She shook her head and checked the price tag.

'Just tell me and I'll be the judge of that.'

I took a deep breath and wondered how I should start my story, so that it would make some sense at least.

'You know how I'm dating Chad, right?'

She smiled. 'Oh course I do. You've been talking to him on the phone for a long time last night. What was that all about?'

'We were… Well, actually we discussed…' I stuttered and stopped to figure out how to continue this. 'Ugh, fine. Our relationship was kinda… Secret. Only a few people knew about it.'

'How come?' she asked, picking up another T-shirt. This time it was baby blue.

'Because Chad, well… He's on the basketball team, which makes him one of the most popular people in the whole school, he's dated a few cheerleaders here and there… And I'm a Geek. And Basketball Players and Geeks don't usually cross paths' I explained. My sister nodded her head and looked at a pair of small pants.

'Right…'

'Yeah, so we were… actually I was just nervous about how the school might accept us being together.'

'Wait, doesn't your friend Gabriella date that shy kid; brown hair, blue eyes…?' she asked and looked at me. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, Troy. She does.'

'He's on the team, right?'

'Yup.'

'And she's kinda… well, she's from the Geeks, isn't she?'

'Yes.'

'And they're datin'…. No one's making a fuss, huh?' she asked. I shook my head.

'That's totally different. Gaby moved here the summer before freshman year, Troy moved schools… They started "fresh".'

My sister raised an eyebrow. 'I don't get it.'

'No one knew them. And everyone who goes to our school knows Chad from somewhere, whether it's middle school… or elementary… or even preschool' I explained. 'Same with me. Plus, everyone knows Tony and they know I'm his sister. And Tony hasn't really been supportive when everyone called me a nerd, so I sort of got the "nerd patch" now.'

'Oh Taylor' Destiny sighed. 'Alright, so you were scared of what people might think of Chad and you?'

'Yeah. I didn't want them to gossip or make fun of Chad for… dating me' I said and looked down. My sister shook her head.

'Girl, I don't know where you get all that negativity from, but you have to get rid of it. Why do you even care what everyone else thinks?' she questioned. I shrugged.

'I don't know… I just don't want people talking about me and Chad.'

'They're gonna talk anyways. People gossip because, let's face it, kids haven't had relevant topics for their conversations for 10 years now. All people do now is gossip!' she complained and we moved on along the shelf. I sighed.

'Yeah, but I hate it…' I said. Destiny put her hand on my shoulder.

'Are you ready for a newsflash? Get this: no one cares. I know it sounds terrible, but that's the truth. The truth is that everywhere you go, most people are not gonna give a fuck about you or your feelings. They're gonna be rude, they'll push you around… You need to learn to not give two flying shits about people who don't respect you' she said seriously. I gave her a confused look.

'And how do I do that?'

'Well, if anyone gets all up in your face about Chad, you can start off by telling them to suck your di-'

'You know I can't say that' I said, cutting her off. Destiny rolled her eyes.

'Fine, then flip them off! Be sassy!' she advised and looked back at the shelf. 'Be sarcastic! You're good at that; it runs in the family. Practice, practice, practice! Once you get past that, swear words come flying out of your mouth like a melody.'

'Oh, I don't know…' I said. Destiny picked up a pair of green socks and checked their price.

'You know what really boosts your confidence? Making out with your boyfriend in front of all the hating bitches and seeing the looks on their faces as they realize you're all he cares about' she said nostalgically. 'Been there, done that. It really works.'

'Well, that's already been done…' I mumbled. Destiny heard it and looked at me.

'What's that?'

I sighed. 'Yesterday, on the phone, we talked about finally letting the school know. Chad managed to convince me to do it. The thing is, we didn't really discuss how we would do it. And today, in the morning, he walked up to me and without any warning he kissed me. In front of everyone.'

Destiny's bottom jaw dropped. 'Shut up.'

'Seriously.'

'Wow' she said with a slight smile. 'A guy sure knows how to get his way. Why are you so upset then?'

'Because I wasn't ready for that.'

'But you told him you were…'

'Yeah, I did' I said and looked down. 'Everyone was staring at me all day and I just knew they didn't like what they saw. I received a lot of hateful looks, especially from the cheerleaders.'

'So what?' Destiny said and continued looking at baby clothes. 'Let them hate all they want. They're probably thirsty as hell and can't handle the fact Fuzzy chose to be with someone whose brain actually functions.'

'So… what should I do?'

'I told you! Just don't give a shit. Or at least pretend not to. They'll get tired of hating and let ya'll go.'

'Should I talk to him, though?'

'About?'

'How I feel about him kissing me in front of everybody and not telling me about his plan.'

'Oh, Taylor' she said and looked at me. 'Men are really simple beings. They don't really process long, comprehensive information. Your message has to be short and straight to the point. He might not handle an intellectual discussion like that.'

'Chad's different' I said. 'We actually discuss a lot of things concerning our relationship.'

'So he's one of those?' she asked and I nodded my head. 'They're really fun, but often have a lot of opinions and arguing with them is a pain in the ass. Good luck.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Destiny, I'm serious. Should I talk to him?'

'Hey, if you feel you have to talk to him about it, then you definitely should do it. A relationship should be based on dialogue, mutual understanding and being honest with each other; if something's bothering you, you should let him know.'

'I will' I said and sighed. 'I just hope he doesn't get upset. Plus, I've also been avoiding him all day…'

'Why?'

'After that scene in the corridor I didn't really want to be seen with him…'

'You really have to stop overreacting like this. You're sending people mixed signals like that, you know?' she said and we walked into another alley. This one was filled with all kinds of toys. 'You're not only confusing him, but the people around you. "Are they dating, are they not?" this way you're letting people know something is going on. Next thing you need to learn is how to properly hide your emotions, so people can't tell you're going through a hard time.'

'Wow, a lot of lessons for one day…' I said, trying to change the subject. Destiny giggled and put her arm around my shoulders.

'I know, I know. But you've got plenty of time to learn. I'll teach you everything, sis. Don't worry.'

We walked around the store for another hour or so, just looking around and filling up Destiny's list with average prices of things. In the meantime I got a message from Gaby asking where I was. I told her Destiny got me out of school, so I wasn't going to be there for the guys' practice. We left the store and headed home, picking up some lunch on the way.

After we had lunch, I was in the kitchen doing the dishes. Destiny went to the living room to lie down, because her legs hurt after all the walking we did around the store. I put the last plate on the drier and went to wipe my hands, when the phone on the wall rang. I roughly wiped my hands in a paper towel and picked the phone up.

'Hello?'

'Hey Taylor' a familiar voice said. I smiled.

'Hey Tony, what's up?' I asked and sat on the counter. Tony coughed into the phone.

'Nothin' really' he replied.

'You okay? You sound funny.'

'I'm just a little hungover, that's all…' he told me.

'Right, so that's why you haven't called us in so long?'

'For real Taylor, I don't need this. If I wanted speeches, I would have just called Mom's cellphone' he said seriously. 'Listen, is anyone else home?'

'Destiny is.'

'Great, give her the phone' he said. I sighed and put the phone away from my ear.

'Destiny!' I called. 'It's for you.'

'Comin'!' she called from the living room. I put the phone back to my ear.

'So, are you ever coming over to visit us?' I asked. My brother groaned.

'Damn, even if I wanted, I don't have any cash for a flight. But I wanna come over for Christmas.'

Destiny walked into the kitchen and looked at me.

'Who is it?'

'It's Tony' I told her. She took the phone out of my hand and put it to her ear.

'Anthony? Why haven't you called? I've been worrying sick about your stupid ass! Who do you think you are, going all the way to NYC and not calling us, huh? What the hell, bro?'

I giggled as Destiny made an annoyed face while listening to Tony's excuses over the phone.

'Listen, I don't care. Save all that crap for Mom' she told him. 'I just wanted to tell you I'm having a baby boy!'

I smiled and got off the counter. I headed towards my room, leaving Destiny in the kitchen. I wanted to let her talk to Tony in peace… well, they'd mostly be screaming at each other over the phone, but they needed privacy to do that.

I closed the door behind myself and looked around my room. It was really messy. I realized I had to study for the History test coming later that week, but I decided I'd clean up first. I guess I just needed organized environment for studying.

I was on my bed, rereading my notes for the tenth time already, when the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock in my room and saw it was 5pm, which meant it was most probably Mom or Dad coming back from work. I knew my sister was downstairs and she'd probably get it, so I remained on my bed and looked down at my notes.

'Taylor, someone's here to see you' I heard my sister call after a moment. I heard the door to my room open and looked up to see Chad standing in the doorway. My heart skipped a beat. I put my notebook down and cleared my throat.

'What are you doing here?' I asked. He smiled, came inside and closed the door behind him.

'I came to talk to you' he told me. I put my notebook away and gave him a questioning look.

'About?'

'Things' he said mysteriously and sat down on the chair near my desk. 'You left without saying anything today.'

'I texted you' I told him. He shook his head. I groaned. 'I forgot to text you. I'm so sorry. Destiny just randomly came to pick me up and I totally forgot-'

'It's okay' he cut me off and crossed his arms. He looked around my room. 'That's not what I wanted to talk about anyway. I came over, because here you can't run away from me.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

He looked at me. 'Oh, it's just that today… I couldn't help getting the impression that… You've been… Well, avoiding me.'

I gulped and looked down. 'What gave you that idea?'

'Well, first of all, I couldn't catch you on any break… Then I thought I'd see you at lunch, but I couldn't find you… And then I saw you… Leaving the cafeteria with Scott.'

I looked up at him and saw he was already staring at me with a rather serious look on his face. I shook my head. 'It's not what it looks like-'

'Then what is it, huh?' he asked, cutting me off. His tone was serious like I've never heard him before. I gulped once again, because I was slowly getting nervous. I looked down at my hands and thought of a good response.

'It's nothing' I said quietly. Chad was silent for a moment.

'You know, I've actually talked to Scott today' he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He rubbed his hands together. 'He told me something.'

I kept looking down. Deep inside I expected where this was going and I was getting more and more nervous. I felt my right index finger itch, so I began scratching it gently. Chad stared at me until he realized I wasn't going to say anything.

'Why didn't you tell me he asked you out?' he questioned. I rubbed my forehead before looking up at him.

'Because I don't think it's a big deal' I told him. He raised his eyebrows.

'Well, I think it _is_ a big deal' he said seriously. 'A dude asked you out and I think that I, as your boyfriend, should know about such things.'

'Am I supposed to inform you every time a guy talks to me?' I snapped. 'Is that what you want?'

'Taylor, that's not what I said' he said calmly. I rolled my eyes.

'Why is this such a big deal to you? He asked me out, because he didn't know we were dating! I said no and I told him I was dating you, so he apologized and that's it!' I explained. 'Besides, he asked me not to tell you, because he was afraid of your reaction. And I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you'd make a big deal out of nothing.'

Chad stared at me for a moment. He sighed and leaned back in the chair.

'Today, after practice he asked if he could talk to me. And that's when he told me everything, because, as he said, he was feeling bad about it and he thought I should know' Chad explained.

'Okay, so now you know' I told him, sounding irritated. 'Can you let this go now?'

He gave me a surprised look. 'No, I cannot. Wow, is that what you think of me? Do you really think I'm nothing, but a jealous dumbass, who goes to beat up a dude who dared to speak to his girlfriend? Is that all I am to you?'

I looked down and thought about it. Suddenly I realized what a selfish bitch I was. I felt my eyes tear up and didn't know what to tell him. He sighed and got up from the chair. He sat at the edge of my bed and looked at the floor.

'Look, it's not about Scott or anyone else asking you out… It's about being honest. I thought we had no secrets hidden from each other; I tell you things, you tell me things… I was really confused when I saw you leaving with Scott today; I had no idea him and you were going to study French, because you haven't told me… Also, you gotta understand how I felt when he told me about him asking you out. I felt really dumb and insecure, because… Because I figured if you were hiding something, something bad was going on.

Don't think I don't see how good you and Scott get on together… I trust you, Tay. I really do. I didn't trust him at first, but after today I know he's not a fake friend. The thing is, he really made me feel insecure at first. He's into Chemistry and he speaks French… You two have a lot in common. Plus, he plays basketball and his jokes are way funnier than mine… He's like me, but better… better for you. And today, after you've avoided me all day, I saw you with him. That's when I thought I completely lost you, although I wasn't sure why. Good thing Scott talked to me, otherwise I'd be coming in here with a whole different attitude.'

He was silent for a moment. I kept looking down, preventing the tears from falling from my eyes. Chad scratched his ear and took a deep breath.

'My point is… We shouldn't keep secrets from each other, Tay' he said and turned to me. 'Tay, everything alright?'

A single tear finally rolled down my cheek and fell on my lap. Chad saw that and sat closer to me.

'Taylor?'

'I'm sorry' I stammered out and started sobbing. 'I… I… I'm so sorry, Chad.'

'Hey, it's okay' he said and rubbed my arm. 'Don't cry, Tay. It's alright.'

'No, it's not' I said and looked up at him. 'I messed up. I shouldn't have, Chad. I'm a terrible girlfriend.'

'No, you're not' he said and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to himself. I continued sobbing into his shoulder.

'I'm sorry for making you feel insecure, Chad' I told him and wiped my eye with my hand. 'It's all my fault.'

'Shh, it's okay' he said and rubbed my back. 'I guess it could also be my fault. Maybe I didn't seem trustworthy to you.'

'No' I said and pulled away from him. 'I've never trusted anyone as much as I trust you. I've told you some of my deepest secrets. You should've know about Scott; I should've told you. You're right, I shouldn't keep such things from you. I just never imagined it was so important to you.'

'It's okay' he said and reached for a tissue. He handed it to me and sighed. 'I guess I should've told you how I felt about Scott then… I just thought you'd think it was stupid.'

I wiped my eyes and gave him a confused look. 'Why would I?'

'Because it seemed silly to me… I was jealous of a guy we've just met.'

I smiled weakly. 'I think that's cute.'

'So that's why you didn't tell me about him asking you out, huh?' he asked with a smile. I shrugged.

'I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry. I feel like an idiot. I just don't want you to think I think of you as a "jealous dumbass", because I don't. You're not a dumbass' I told him. He chuckled.

'So I am jealous?'

'Yeah, but your jealousy could be classified as "cute".'

'Oh well, how could I not get jealous when my girlfriend is the prettiest and the smartest girl in the whole school, huh?' he asked with a smirk. I giggled and wiped my eyes once again.

'What should I say then? I'm dating the most handsome and the funniest guy in the whole school, who also happens to be the number one hottie all the girls are in love with' I said. Chad shook his head.

'Forget the rest, Tay. You're the only girl I want' he assured. I smiled and softly kissed his lips. I pulled away and stared at his lovely face. I remembered something and bit my bottom lip. I understood that it was the perfect time to tell him what bothered me.

'Can I tell you why I avoided you all day?' I asked. He got serious and nodded his head.

'Yeah, go ahead.'

I leaned against the headboard and sighed. 'It's about you kissing me in front of everyone.'

'What about it?'

'I… I… I think you should have discussed it with me first' I said seriously, although my voice was a little shaky. Chad raised his eyebrows.

'But you said you were ready to let everyone know…'

'I know, but I wasn't ready to do it like that… Plus, I wasn't actually ready.'

Chad sighed and looked at me. I moved to the side, making some space for him on my bed. He sat next to me and leaned his back against the headboard.

'Why did you say you were?' he asked. I shrugged.

'Because I didn't think you'd just jump into it' I said quietly and looked down at my lap. 'I knew how excited you were about letting everyone know about us and I didn't want to ruin it with my pessimism.'

'Tay, I told you I wasn't ready unless you were ready' he said and looked at me. I sighed.

'I guess I wasn't ready…' I admitted. 'I thought I was and even for a moment I felt like it was time to do it, but when you kissed me and everyone stared at us, I felt awful. People were giving me dirty looks all day, Chad…'

I felt my eyes getting wet again. Chad reached for a tissue box that was on my nightstand and put it in front of me. He rested his head against the wall and watched me wipe my eyes, but didn't say anything.

I took a deep breath and reached for another tissue. Why was I suddenly having a breakdown? Was I really that upset over this? Or maybe it was that time of month again. I don't know, either way I felt silly for crying over this whole thing. Destiny was right; I should've acted like people's opinion didn't bother me at all. Unfortunately, I wasn't as confident as I would like to be. I had to find another way to get over this.

'Don't cry, Tay' Chad told me. 'It's not worth it.'

I looked at his face and saw him smile at me. I smiled slightly and reached for another tissue.

'It's all your fault' I said, wiping my tears away. 'You and your cute face makes all the girls fall for you and hate me.'

Chad laughed. 'Hey, have you seen yourself? I'll have to face a bunch of jealous dudes every day and do you see me complaining?'

I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back at me.

'You're beautiful, Tay' he told me. I looked down.

'Really, now?' I asked. 'I'm a mess.'

'Oh, you always look beautiful' he said and put his hand on my knee. 'It's just that when you cry, you're the least beautiful… Promise you won't cry about it anymore.'

I looked at his face and nodded my head. 'I promise.'

'Awesome' he said and opened his arms. 'Come here, Tay.'

He didn't have to tell me twice; all I needed was a hug. A hug from him. I kneeled next to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in it. He put his arms around me and held me tight to himself.

'I'm sorry' I mumbled into his skin. He sighed and rubbed my back.

'I'm sorry too.'

We stayed like this for a moment, just enjoying the closeness to one another. I couldn't believe I missed him that much throughout the whole day. I realized I was strongly attached to him and needed him when things got tough. That's when I promised myself I would never again keep any secrets for him.

I finally pulled away from the hug and sat up. I wiped my eyes for the last time and glanced at him.

'Better now?' he asked with a smile. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, a lot better' I admitted. We heard a knock on the door and we both looked at it. I cleared my throat. 'Yeah?'

The door opened and Destiny came in. 'Hey, I just…' she said and looked at us. Her eyes widened. 'Oh, oops. Am I interrupting?'

Chad blushed, took his legs off my bed and sat on the edge of it. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

'No, what's up?' I asked. She leaned against the doorframe.

'Oh, I wanted to let you know Dad will be home around 6, so you two either come hang out downstairs or Fuzzy will have to use the emergency exit' she said and pointed at my balcony. 'I'm not getting in trouble for letting you two hang out in your room, no way.'

I glanced at Chad and back at Destiny. 'Um.. we'll stay here.'

'Alright then' she said and smirked. 'Just keep it down, will you?'

She wiggled her eyebrows at me before closing the door. I looked at Chad, who had a smile on his face.

'She's insane' I told him and leaned on the headboard. He turned his head to me and chuckled.

'What do you think she'd do if she walked in on us, huh?' he asked. I shrugged.

'I don't know… She would probably just close the door and pretend it never happened' I said. Chad smirked.

'Good to know.'

I raised an eyebrow. 'Hey, what's that supposed to mean?'

He chuckled and turned his body so that he was facing me. 'I was supposed to tutor you in something, wasn't I?'

'Were you?' I asked, giving him a confused look. Chad smiled and got closer to me.

'Let me refresh your memory' he said and pressed his lips against mine, trapping my head between his own and the wall. Shortly after that he pulled away and I smiled.

'Hmm, I still don't remember' I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. 'You should try again.'

Chad smirked and kissed me once again. I responded by opening my lips and letting him push his tongue inside. He put his hands on my hips and pushed me more into the headboard, trying to get closer to me, which was impossible because of the way he was sitting. I didn't hesitate before trying to push my tongue into his mouth, just to switch things up a little. He was surprised at first, but let me do what I wanted. He pulled away to catch a breath and I did the same.

'How about now?' he asked. I took a deep breath and nodded my head.

'Now I definitely remember' I told him and put my hand on his cheek. I caressed his cheekbone with my thumb and smiled lightly. 'I know we've been making fun of Gaby and Troy making out constantly, but now I see why they do it… It's fun.'

Chad smiled. 'I told you. Wow, Tay. Have you been practicing?'

I giggled and shook my head. 'How could I? By myself?'

'I don't know' he said and pecked me gently. 'Maybe someone was helping you… If yeah, I gotta thank them.'

'Oh Chad' I said giggling and played with his hair. 'It's all thanks to you. Maybe I just sucked some talent out of you.'

'I won't lie, Tay' he said and chuckled. 'That sounds really tempting.'

I laughed and gently slapped the back of his head, which made him laugh. I no longer felt comfortable pressed against the wall, so I lightly pushed him away from me and lied down across my bed. He smiled and lied next to me, propping himself on his elbow.

'You know what' he said. 'Tomorrow we gotta walk into that school and act like we own it.'

I gave him a confused look. 'Why?'

'Because we have to let everyone know we're together and that nothing's gonna change it' he told me and reached for my hand. 'We'll do all that hand holding and hugging and everything we hate to see Troy and Gaby do.'

I laughed and looked at the ceiling. 'Isn't it ironic? I would always roll my eyes when they were all cute and stuff… and now that's all I wanna do with you.'

Chad chuckled. 'I guess it depends who you do it with' he admitted. 'For example, you're the first girl I want to do all those things with… Like because I want to, not because I have to.'

I looked at him and cupped his cheeks in my hands. Then I pulled his face down to mine, giving him a passionate kiss.

If anyone ever asked me to define a perfect moment, I would definitely describe that one. There was nothing better than realizing you've got that one person who you can trust with everything.

If I could, I'd do anything to go back and feel that way once more.

Taylor M.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys! **

**Woah, new chapter! At this point I can't tell if it's late or not, but all I know is that it took a day to write so it's a result of either a really good inspiration boost or a total mistake... I don't know, but I had to write it, because it contains things which will be relevant for the next few chapters. So yeah, here it is! :P**

**Feel free to review and tell me what you think! :)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>'Where are you going?' I asked Chad over the phone. I grabbed my sweater and made my way down the stairs. He sighed.<p>

'I got a doctor's appointment…' he replied. I raised my eyebrows.

'Why? Is it something serious?'

'No, just a regular physical… I need it for the sports, you know' he explained. 'I'll only miss like one, maybe two periods, so I'll see you today.'

I smiled to myself. 'That's good. I gotta run to school now, so have fun at the doctor's' I told him. Chad chuckled.

'Yeah, I can't wait' he answered sarcastically. 'Bye, Tay.'

'Bye, Chad.'

I hung up and looked around the living room, just to see it was empty. I heard the sound of conversation coming from the kitchen and rolled my eyes. All my family did was sit in the kitchen, especially in the mornings. I should've guessed they'd be there.

I walked in and saw my sister and my mother sitting across from each other at the table, while my father was leaning against the counter. If I didn't say anything, they would probably forget I existed.

'Good morning' I greeted. They all looked at me, but only Mom reacted.

'There's your breakfast, Tay' she said and pointed at the plate sitting on the counter. I walked past my dad and reached for it, when he quickly snatched my sandwich off the plate.

'Hey!' I whined at him. He shrugged.

'You snooze, you lose' he told me and held the sandwich up when I tried taking it away from him. I don't even know why I bothered; fighting a 6'2" tall man wasn't the best idea, especially when the top of your head barely reached his shoulders.

'James' Mom said seriously. 'Quit joking around and let your daughter have her breakfast without having to be late for school.'

Dad sighed and put the sandwich back on my plate while mimicking my mother. I giggled silently, grabbed my plate and sat at the table.

'Alright, ladies' he said after glancing at his watch. 'It was really nice having breakfast in your company, but I gotta get to work.'

He walked up to Mom and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then he picked up a lunch box from the counter and was about to walk out of the kitchen, when I stopped him.

'Daddy, wait!' I called after him. He turned towards us. 'Can you give me a ride to school?'

'Why? he asked and crossed his arms. 'I thought you were going with your _boyfriend_.'

The way he stressed the word boyfriend made me and Destiny roll our eyes; Mom just smiled and sipped her coffee. I shook my head.

'Chad's got a doctor's appointment, which he needs in order to be _in your team, _so I can't walk with him this morning' I explained and my father sighed. 'Please, Daddy. I don't wanna walk by myself.'

'Tay, you know teachers need to get to school earlier than the students' he said, trying to sound somewhat serious. 'I can't be late.'

I pouted and looked down at my breakfast. Then I sighed loudly, hoping he would realize he totally broke my heart.

'She's doin' it!' Destiny said and pointed at me. 'Look, there it is! The guilt-blackmail!'

I looked up at my father and gave him a sad face. He raised his eyebrows and Mom giggled. I kept staring at him until he finally unfolded his arms and walked back to the table. He dropped on the chair next to me and sighed.

'Fine' he gave up. 'I guess I can be late this one time.'

'Thanks, Daddy' I said with a smile. Destiny shook her head.

'She got you wrapped around her finger, Pops' she told him.

'You both do' Mom added and flipped the paper in the magazine she was reading. Dad looked at her.

'Hey, that's not true' he said seriously. She looked at him and smiled innocently.

'You're right' she admitted. 'I do, too.'

My sister and I laughed, making dad shake his head. He picked up Mom's coffee mug, took a sip and looked over at Destiny.

'While we're at it, you don't need a ride, do you?' he asked her.

'Nope. My friend's picking me up. Besides, I knew you wouldn't give me the car' she replied. Dad was about to oppose, but Mom cut him off.

'Oh, so now I know why Carla asked me to take care of Charlie today.'

'Yeah, I told her I had work today' Destiny said.

'How long are you gonna babysit him for?' Dad asked and once again reached for Mom's mug, only to get his hand slapped away this time.

'For two, maybe three hours' my mother said. 'She said she only needed someone to watch over him while she took Chad to the doctor's.'

'That's good, Mom' Destiny said. 'You could use some memory refreshment on how to deal with babies, so you can take care of mine.'

Mom laughed. 'Honey, I work at the hospital and spend 70% of my time at the maternity ward… The last thing I need is a memory refreshment.'

After I finished my breakfast, my father and I got in the car and drove to school. On our way there we didn't really talk much. Since he found out about Chad and I, that morning was the first time he brought it up. I didn't know what to expect from him; he could be nosy or he could just not give a damn. However, I think he just chose to pretend he didn't care, because he didn't want to bother me with questions. I appreciated that even though I knew he was dying to hear about Chad and if he's been a good boyfriend to me.

Dad was only five minutes late and when I asked him if he would get in trouble because of that, he said they could "bite him". I figured that meant he would deal with it if he had to, so I kissed him goodbye and we parted ways. I made my way to my locker to get my books. When I walked up to it, I saw a flyer stuck onto it. It was once again trying to convince people to run for class president. I rolled my eyes, ripped it off and opened my locker. A moment later I was approached by Gabriella.

'Hey, Tay!' she greeted with a smile. I smiled back at her and looked at my schedule.

'Hey there, Gaby' I told her. 'Why so cheerful today?'

'Why not? It's just another good day, I guess' she said.

'It just started, how do you know it will be good?' I asked. She shrugged.

'I don't know. I just like to start my days thinking positively.'

Gabriella was an optimist. And not just an optimist, but a hardcore optimist. When she got into something, at the start she was already sure everything was going to be great. I admired her for that, even though I did not understand it at all. I'm not saying I'm a pessimist or anything (I actually might be, but it varies); I'm more of a realist. Like for instance, when my mind tells me something won't end good, I adopt such an attitude towards a thing; I don't get too excited about anything in advance, because it might just be a total letdown. I guess thinking negatively helps me deal with tragic outcomes. Although it hasn't been proven, because I never had a chance to compare it with good things. It might be because nothing good has ever happened to me.

'Hey, can you hold this?' I asked, handing her the crumbled up flyer. 'I need to get my book out.'

'Sure' she answered and took the paper from me. While I searched for the books I needed, Gaby unfolded the paper and read what it said.

'Oh yeah, the elections' she said and looked at me. 'This is the last week to apply. Have you thought about it?'

I held my breath, but continued looking through my books. I knew I promised to think it through, but I completely forgot. I guess that since the school found out about Chad and I, I've been worrying about other things.

'Umm, yeah, sorta' I lied and took my Math book out.

'And?'

'And, well…' I stuttered and quickly tried to come up with a good response. The idea didn't appeal to me at all, however I didn't want Gaby to know I crossed it out before I even gave it some more thought. I knew she was really into it and she was ready to support me if I applied for it. I also knew she was already convinced I'd do it and she already had been planning a campaign and slogans and what changes I'd bring if I won.

'And?' she asked impatiently. I bit my lips.

'Why can't you do it, Gaby?' I asked. She rolled her eyes.

'Come on, I told you! I'm super awkward when it comes to people, I'm not a good person for representing the people and no one would ever vote for me.'

'Oh, and you think they'd vote for "Taylor, Chad's Nerdy Girlfriend?' I asked sarcastically.

'I'd vote for her' someone behind me said. I turned around and saw Scott standing there with a silly smile on his face. I took a deep breath and shook my head.

'Why do you always do that? Can't you announce yourself when you show up?' I asked. 'That's it, for your birthday I'm getting you a set of bells to hang around yourself, so I can know when you're near.'

Scott laughed. 'I think just one bell would be okay… Like a huge cowbell, to hang around my neck.. I'd be the Cow Whisperer… or the Village Gangsta.'

Gaby giggled and I just stood there, staring at Scott's silly smirk. I rolled my eyes and looked into my locker.

'This is not a good time, Scott' I told him. His smile disappeared.

'Why? Are we having a crisis?' he asked, sounding sort of concerned. Gaby sighed.

'Scott, tell Taylor she'd make a great class president' she told him. Scott took his hands out of his pockets and cleared his throat.

'Taylor, you'd make a great class president' he said, making his voice low, imitating a sports commentator or something similar. I looked at Gaby.

'Why do you want this so much?' I asked.

'Because you're a perfect fit for that position!' she said. 'You have a load of great ides, you're outspoken, you don't stutter in public, you can handle a discussion.'

'What if I don't want to do all those things?'

'Why don't you?' Scott asked. I looked up at him and wanted to snap, but I had no idea what to say. I sighed and looked down.

'I just don't want all that attention. I don't handle it that well' I said quietly. Gaby put her hand on my shoulder.

'It's not about any of that, Tay. It's about stating your opinion and uniting people who think alike. There are a lot of things that could be changed around here and you know it. You don't need to win it, but you could at least try. Maybe you could inspire people to bring in some changes' she told me with a smile. I sighed.

'You're right' I answered. She raised her eyebrows.

'Does that mean you'll do it?' she asked. I shook my head.

'I'll have to think about it, Gaby. I can't just decide right now.'

'Okay… But if you were to right now, you'd say…?'

'I'd say yes, _but_ I still need to think about it' I said. She squealed and hugged me.

'This is going to be so cool! We'll make your campaign and prepare you for debates and make a plan and I'm so excited' she said and she jumped up and down while hugging me. I giggled.

'Don't get too excited, yet.'

The bell rang and she pulled away.

'I gotta run! I'll see you guys later!' she said and ran off. I sighed and Scott chuckled.

'She's… odd. In a good way' he pointed out. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, she's special… But that's what makes her Gaby.'

'What do you have now?'

'Math.'

'Oh, I'll walk with you. I got Biology in the same corridor.'

We made our way down the hall in silence. The hall was loud, because people were still talking or getting to class or just running around the place for no apparent reason.

'Do you also think I should do it?' I asked and looked up at Scott. 'You know, run for class president?'

'I think you should' he admitted. 'You seem like a person who would be a good class president and you seem really confident, too.'

'Oh, I'm not confident at all, trust me' I said and looked down at my feet.

'Hey, I might not know you that well, but you come off as a confident person' he told me. 'Now, I don't know if it's because you fake it so well or because you actually are, but I like to believe it's the second one.'

I smiled weakly. 'Thanks.'

'No problem' he replied. 'Oh, by the way. I wanted to tell you I told Chad about that secret thing of ours.'

'I know' I said and looked at him. 'I already talked to him about it.'

He winced a bit. 'How was it?'

'It was okay… He was really cool about it' I admitted. 'He was only disappointed I kept it a secret, but we talked it out.'

'I told him that I asked you to keep it a secret, I hoped that would help.'

'Scott, don't worry about it' I said and stopped in front of my class. 'It was an issue, but that's between us. The bottom line is everything is okay now.'

Scott smiled. 'Glad to hear that. I wanted to tell you I was going to tell him, but you disappeared before I got a chance to talk to you.'

'It's okay, though. It doesn't matter now. Let's just pretend it never happened.'

'Fine with me' he said. 'I'll see you later, Taylor.'

'Bye.'

I turned around and made my way inside. I was satisfied; I was slowly learning how to handle talking to Scott better than before. I guess it took time to force my mind to acknowledge him only as a friend, not a cute boy who happened to be really nice to me. I was glad Scott showed up in our lives, because it kind of made mine and Chad's relationship even stronger.

After the first period I went to my locker to leave my Math book and get my History book. As I reached for the textbook I was looking for, I felt someone's presence. I slowly turned to the left as saw Chad leaning against a locker next to mine. He smiled.

'There's no sneaking up on you, is there?' he asked. I smiled back and shook my head.

'You just don't know how to do it properly' I told him and took the book out. He chuckled.

'Wow, is that a challenge?' he asked jokingly and stood on the other side, so that he wasn't hiding behind the metal door anymore. 'Do you want me to prove to you that I _do_ actually know how to sneak up?'

'Please, don't' I begged and held up my History book. 'I do weird stuff when I get scared. Like I could seriously hit you over the head with this.'

'Wow, it's heavy' he said and took the book out of my hand. He was right; it was almost as thick as a dictionary. 'Oh yeah, good thing you have it. I forgot mine at home.'

'If course you did' I said with a knowing smile, which made him chuckle. 'How was it at the doctor's?'

'Oh, you know… Same old crap. "Bend over and touch your toes. Do ten pushups. Let's hear your heart. Let's check your eyes. Let's check your pulse. Blah blah blah." Nothing interesting' he explained and let out a sigh. 'I need to leave this note at the office, mind taking a walk with me?'

'I'd love to' I said and closed my locker. Then Chad grabbed my hand.

'Wait, wait' he whispered. 'I haven't gotten my good morning kiss yet.'

I bit my bottom lip and looked around the corridor. There were a bunch of kids standing by the opposite lockers, talking and whatnot. It seemed no one paid any attention to us. However, I was kind of scared to kiss Chad in front of them, not quite sure why. I mean, people already saw us kiss, so it wouldn't be a big deal to see it again. But something was stopping me.

'Tay?' he said. I snapped out of it and looked at him.

'Yeah?'

'Come on, don't look at them' he told me as if he knew what I was thinking about. 'Look at me. I'm here. Forget the rest.'

'You know my father works here, right?' I asked. Chad looked around and then back at me.

'I don't see him anywhere, so he can't stop me' he said with a smile and put his arm around my waist. 'Come on, I don't wanna seem like a jerk who forces his girlfriend to kiss him by kissing her.'

'You're kind of doing it right now, you know' I pointed out. Chad chuckled.

'So I should just get it myself?'

'No need' I said shortly and leaned in to kiss his soft lips. He was right; no one else mattered. It was just us.

I pulled away and smiled at him. 'How was that?' I asked. Chad smirked.

'Hmm, soft, sweet… Is that strawberry I taste?' he asked with a funny accent. I giggled and nodded my head.

'Yeah, it's my chapstick.'

'I love it… I'd give that kiss five stars, because it leaves you wanting more' he said and slowly leaned in to kiss me again. I put my hand on his chest to keep him from coming any closer.

'Not so fast' I told him and smiled. 'We'll have plenty of time for that after school. Let's not cause any scandals in the corridors, how about that?'

Chad sighed. 'Alright, if you say so. But you better keep your promise.'

'Hey, I didn't promise anything' I pointed out. 'I'm just saying, school's not the place for all that.'

'Yeah, yeah' Chad said and smirked. 'You're just afraid you'll get carried away and won't be able to stop yourself.'

I laughed and started walking down the corridor. 'Yeah, that's it.'

'Seriously, though' he said after he caught up with me. 'You can't say things like that and later just… not do them. I took that as a promise.'

'Take it however you like it, Chad. I didn't make any promises' I told him.

'You gotta admit, yesterday was fun' he said. I glanced at him and saw he had a huge grin on his face. I shrugged.

'It got a little out of hand' I replied and looked away, so he couldn't see me blush. The previous day, after Chad and I talked things out, we got into a make out session. And it wouldn't be anything unusual if I haven't done… well, made a sound. It's just that Chad was being super greedy and kissed me harder and harder, which I wouldn't admit to him, but I liked. And he wouldn't have known that, if I haven't… moaned. But it was silent! You could barely hear it! Of course, it only made Chad's ego expand, making him think he was a great kisser, because he got _me_ to moan. Big deal. I wasn't going to let him know it was all thanks to his kissing skills, so I ignored it completely. To be honest, I was already thinking of a good payback.

'Yeah' Chad said with a chuckle. I glared at him and he grabbed my hand. 'For real though, I wanna spend some time with you today.'

'Sure' I replied and realized we were walking down the school corridor holding hands. However, it wasn't as stressful as I imagined it would be. 'You'll help me decide on something.'

'On what?' he asked curiously.

'Gaby thinks I should run for class president, but I'm not sure' I said. Chad raised an eyebrow.

'Why aren't you sure?'

'Because I don't think I should do it, Chad…' I said and looked around. 'Can we talk about this later?'

'Yeah, of course.'

We stopped in front of the office and Chad walked in to hand in his doctor's note. I sighed silently and sat down on one of the chairs. I didn't want to tell Chad about the things that bothered me, because we were at school. I figured I'd explain everything later, once we were all alone. I hoped he'd give me some good advice, since I was having mixed feelings about that. One part of me really wanted to run and had a billion ideas, while the other part just wanted to hide from everyone and pretend I didn't exist.

After Chad returned from the office, we made our way to our History class. He sat next to me and surprisingly, people weren't staring as much. I guess they realized it was true we were together and got used to the thought, even though it was only one day. As long as I was with Chad, I couldn't care less if anyone was looking at us. I even completely ignored the death stare we both got from Paige The Bitch Face (as Gaby called her) and focused on History. I finally felt like everything would be okay.

I promised Chad I'd see him after his practice, because Gaby and I needed to stay for a special Chemistry Club meeting. Now, I don't remember what it was exactly about, but we gathered to discuss who would be on that year's Decathlon team or something. Either way, it was important and everyone had to be there… Well, except Scott. Everyone knew my father wouldn't be satisfied if he missed practice.

I walked into the gym area and walked down the corridor towards the gym. While I passed the boys' locker rooms, I saw there were only a few guys still in there.

I walked into the gym, which seemed empty at first. I took a look around and saw Chad walking around, picking basketballs from the floor and throwing them into a metal container on wheels. I smiled and slowly walked up to him.

'Danforth, what are you still doing here?' I asked, trying to mimic my father's voice. Chad turned around to me and laughed.

'Nice one, coach. But he's the one who made me do this' he explained while walking away and picking up another basketball. I looked at him and crossed my arms.

'Was this another one of his "punishments"?' I asked. Chad shook his head.

'Nope. It's just my turn today' he told me and passed the ball to me. I smiled and threw it into the container.

'I could help you, you know' I said. I walked up to the ball that was lying on the three-point line and picked it up. Chad walked up to me.

'No need, I'm almost done. Besides, I don't wanna get in trouble for making you help me.'

'Hey, I wanna help you' I said. Chad chuckled.

'Do you think he'd believe that?' he asked. I smiled.

'Good point' I said and looked at the basket. 'Could you make it?'

He looked at the basketball I was holding, then at the basket and then at me.

'You mean if I would score?' he asked, just to make sure. I nodded.

'Yeah. Would you?'

'I guess' he replied. I handed him the ball and stepped away. 'What if I score?'

I shrugged. 'I'll give you a kiss' I suggested. Chad smiled and shook his head.

'That's too easy, Tay. I could just get you to kiss me anyway' he pointed out. I giggled.

'Then I don't know. Let's just say that if you score, I owe you what I supposedly _promised_ you earlier today…'

'Hmmm… Alright, sounds fair' he said before turning towards the basket and effortlessly throwing the ball at it, scoring with no problem. When we heard the swoosh sound, Chad looked at me and smiled.

'You knew you were gonna score, didn't you?' I asked. Chad laughed and ran to get the ball.

'Sort of, yeah' he said and walked back to me. 'I usually do.'

'It's looks so easy when you do it' I said. He smiled.

'It's not that hard, actually' he said and stood behind me. 'Come on, let me show you.'

He put his arms round me, placing the basketball in my hands. Then he took my hands in his and we aimed for the basket.

'Danforth' someone said seriously. We turned around and saw my father standing there with his arms crossed. 'You were supposed to get the balls and get out of here.'

Chad gulped and stepped away from me. 'Um, yeah. I was just going to-'

'Hit the showers?' Dad asked, cutting Chad off. He nodded his head.

'Yeah, exactly' he said and made his way out of the gym. My father walked up to me and looked at the metal container.

'What are you doin' here?' he asked. I looked down at the basketball I was holding and shrugged.

'I was looking for you, but I ran into Chad…' I explained. He nodded his head and closed the container.

'So, um… I know it's probably none of my business, but….' he stuttered. I gave him a surprised look. 'How is everything going… between you…. two…?'

I smiled. 'Everything's great.'

'Good' he told me, letting out a deep breath. 'I was just wondering, you know…'

'It's okay Daddy' I said and pat his shoulder. 'I appreciate your concern.'

'There's nothing to appreciate, Tay' he said and looked at me. 'I'm your father, it's my job to protect you from dumbasses.'

I giggled. 'Well, Chad's not a dumbass.'

'I know he's not, baby' he admitted and smiled a little. 'So, what was he showing you?'

'How to score from over here' I explained. Dad looked at the basket and raised his eyebrows.

'Come on, Tay. That's easy. I'm sure you could do it.'

'Oh, there's no way I would score' I said doubtfully. My father shook his head and walked over to the basket. He stood under it and turned towards me.

'Come on, baby. Try' he said. I looked at the ball and remembered how Chad taught me to hold it. I lifted it up, aimed for the basket and threw it, but I didn't throw it hard enough. It fell before it could even reach the rim. Dad caught it and passed it back to me.

'Come on, Tay. Throw a little harder' he advised. I bit my lips and tried my best and the ball did fly further this time, but it still wasn't it. My father caught the ball and passed it back to me once again.

'Come on, baby. I know you can do it!' he called. 'Try throwing it a little harder this time and I'll show you something.'

I did as he told me and threw the ball as hard as I could, this time not necessarily aiming for the basket. The ball flew past the rim, but my father jumped up and dunked it into the basket. I laughed.

'Whooo' I cheered and then we heard someone clapping. I turned around and saw Chad approaching us, already dressed and with a gym bag hanging on his shoulder.

'Wow, that was nice, coach' he said and stood next to me. Dad caught the ball and walked up to us.

'Don't push it, Danforth' he warned. Chad shook his head.

'I'm serious. How come you don't show us things like that on the practices?'

'Well, since one ex-student-dumbass decided to dunk and cut his finger on the rim, you're not allowed to' he explained and handed the ball to Chad. Chad gave me a questioning look and I smiled.

'Destiny's boyfriend' I whispered, but Dad heard it and shook his head.

'Certified dumbass' he added. 'So, are you kids going home? You need a ride?'

'Nah, we're fine, Dad' I told him. 'We're actually going to the park to study.'

My father raised his eyebrow. 'Park, huh? Can't you kids study at home?'

'It's nice outside' Chad pointed out. 'Isn't it all about how kids don't spend time outside anymore?'

Dad stared at him and I knew he was about to make a comment, but stopped himself. He looked at me instead.

'I want you home by seven' he said seriously.

'I won't be out that long, Dad' I told him. He nodded his head.

'Good. Very good. Now get out of here before I change my mind.'

I smiled, grabbed Chad's hand and dragged him out of the gym. I knew my father was only trying to seem tough, so that Chad "understood whose daughter he was dealing with". Yeah, Dad was and still is extremely overprotective. However, he would never admit it, but he knew I was safe with Chad. He never trusted any of my boyfriends as much as he trusted him.

'Studying? At the park?' Chad asked after we walked out of school. I shrugged.

'What else was I supposed to say? It was the first thing that came to my mind' I told him. He chuckled.

'The park doesn't sound so bad, Tay.'

'You know that once I told him that, we were gonna go there anyway? We have to.'

'Why?'

'I don't know, but what if… what if he decided to check on us?' I asked and looked at him. 'He would never trust me again, Chad. And I don't wanna ruin what me and my father have.'

'I get it' he said with a smile. 'I'm glad you said the park… You could have always said the library or some other, horrible place.'

I laughed. 'True.'

Soon we were at the park, the very same park we would always hang out at and where he told me about his feelings towards me. That place was magical, but in a spiritual sense. I only had good memories connected with it. Like how we would always play there as kids. And how we would share our very first kisses there as teenagers. It was a perfect place for a date and we both knew that.

We sat at our favorite picnic table and placed our bags and backpacks on top of it. I looked at Chad as he rested his head on his gym bag and sighed.

'This is nice' he said. I smiled and nodded my head.

'It sure is.'

'Tay, got any plans for the weekend?' he asked. I raised my eyebrow.

'No, but I'm guessing I'm about to make some…' I replied with a smile. Chad chuckled and sat up.

'Yeah, the baseball team is having this game thing on Saturday and I'd love to have you there.'

'Aww, that's sweet. But you know I'm baseball-stupid.'

'Come on, you don't have to get what's happening. Just come and after it's over, we'll go hang out somewhere nice… We'll go eat something… Or just spend time together' he kept convincing me. I smirked.

'When you put it like that, it does sound tempting' I told him. He pulled me closer to himself.

'So, are you going to come?'

'Yeah. I'll be there, if that makes you feel better.'

'Thanks, Tay' he said and pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and enjoyed the kiss.

I focused on keeping my promise and completely forgot I had to talk to him. I guess that's what happens when you're a teenager in love; you focus on your significant other, while pushing all things aside.

It could wait.

Taylor M.


	33. Chapter 33

**WOW okay! Hey guys! I am officially back from the dead.. Well, sort of. I managed to get my crap together and finally finished a chapter which was sitting in the folder since May. The problem with it was that long before I even started writing it, I already planned it out. Then I wrote something and left it, because I didn't have time nor motivation to pick it up. And since it's summer and I have nothing else bothering me, I got back to it and somehow realized I liked it much more than I thought and in a few days went from 2,000 to almost 10,000 words, making this officially the longest chapter of the story. I was thinking about cutting it in half, but after being gone since February, I owe you guys a big update. So yeah, here it is! :D And trust me, I like it much better uncut, because it's less confusing and makes this story appear slightly shorter :P **

**Now, I don't know when I'm gonna get the next one out, but as I'm writing this, I'm fighting the urge to start it right now, even though I promised myself a movie night. But I already have it planned, so it will take much less time to get it done. **

**That's all from me. Enjoy the chapter and review if you wanna. I haven't heard from you guys in so long! :D**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>It always amazed me how people could change over time. This doesn't necessarily have to mean the negative changes; everyone changes as they grow and I always regarded that as a positive thing. I personally have changed on multiple occasions, usually due to certain events in my life – it was only for the better… At least I think so, because each time my view on life and myself has changed and I developed as a human being.<p>

However, back in high school I didn't think much about that. I guess before I've gone through all those things I had gone through, I couldn't imagine how even the simplest things could change a person. And I certainly didn't expect people could change overnight.

At 10:15 AM I rang the doorbell at the Danforth's front door. I stepped back and waited for someone to answer. It was a warm, sunny September day; the birds were chirping, the kids were playing at the nearby playground and there were barely any cars on our street. It was a perfect weekend to spend some time outside.

Chad and I agreed we'd meet at this time at his place, so I was surprised when his mother opened the door.

'Hello, Ms. Rossi' I greeted politely. 'Is Chad here?'

'Hello, Taylor' she said and carefully fixed the way she held Charlie in her arms. 'Yes, he's upstairs, in his room. Come on in.'

I did as she told me and closed the door behind me.

'I understand you two have some plans for today?' she asked as she made her way to the living room and placed Charlie in the baby carrier. I nodded my head.

'Yes' I replied. 'We are supposed to go to his baseball game.'

'Right, of course' she said from the living room. 'Well, I believe Chad is still asleep and I tried waking him up, but I didn't succeed. Maybe you will. Could you maybe take this upstairs?'

Ms. Rossi walked back into the hall with a plate of French toasts in her hand.

'That's his breakfast' she told me as she handed me the plate. 'That should help you lure him out of bed.'

I giggled and nodded my head. 'I'll see what I can do.'

She smiled and headed to the living room. I glanced at the plate and decided it was time Chad got his lazy ass out of bed. After all, he was the one who convinced me to go and see him play. I didn't wake up this early on a Saturday morning just to hear he was asleep.

I made my way upstairs and quietly opened the door to his bedroom. I peeked inside and saw Chad's afro sticking out from under the covers. I stepped inside and closed the door carefully, trying not to wake him up right away. I looked around his messy room and shook my head. It seemed as if every day he got back from school, he took off his clothes, threw them anywhere and went to sleep. I picked a pair of jeans off his office chair and threw them on the beanbag. I pushed the chair all the way towards his bed and sat on it. Chad was sound asleep; a nuclear bomb couldn't wake him up. I could've walked in, robbed his whole house and he would still be asleep like a baby.

He was sleeping on his side, with one hand tucked under the pillow and with the other arm just hugging the rest of the covers. It made me smile and wish I brought a teddy bear for him, so he'd have something better to cuddle. I decided once I woke him up, I wouldn't mention it. I could just save it for later, in case a needed a good reason to tease him.

I sat there for a moment wondering how I should do this. Do I shake him? Poke him? Slap his arm? I hated having to wake people up, because I knew how annoying it was to be woken up. However, if he didn't wake up now, he wouldn't make it to his own game. I shook my head and poked his shoulder.

'Chad' I said. No reaction. I tried a little louder. 'Chad, wake up.'

He shifted slightly, but that wasn't enough.

'Chad, wake up. Seriously, it's late and we were supposed to go somewhere. You have a baseball game, remember?'

He groaned and rolled onto his back. He stretched his arms, wiped his eyes and slowly opened them.

'Taylor?' he mumbled. His voice was hoarse, which, for some reason, I found very attractive. I smiled.

'Yeah.'

'Are you real?'

'I guess so. I brought you breakfast.'

He yawned and shook his head. 'You're not real.'

I rolled my eyes. 'If I wasn't real, could I do this?' I asked and I slapped his arm. He looked at me and smiled.

'This is too good to be true' he said as he sat up in bed, revealing his bare chest. I glanced down at Chad's breakfast, because I didn't want to stare. To be honest, it was quite hard. 'You know, I had a dream like this once.'

I raised my eyebrows. 'Really?'

'Yeah' he replied and yawned again. 'You did have French toasts… Although, one thing was different… On a scale from one to ten, how comfortable are you coming in here in a bikini?'

I laughed. 'Negative twenty.'

'Worth a shot' he said with a smirk and reached for a toast. 'My mom let you up here?'

'Yeah, she said she couldn't wake you up' I explained. Chad's smile slowly disappeared and he nodded his head.

'I'm just super tired, that's all' he said and bit the toast he was holding.

'You do look tired' I pointed out. Besides the jokes and laughs, he did seem a little distant. Plus, his eyes were reddish, which could've been caused by some late night video-gaming.

'Did she say anything else?' he asked after a moment of silence. I shook my head and leaned back in the chair.

'No, she only asked me if I could wake you up.'

'Okay, good' he said as he reached for another toast. I quirked an eyebrow.

'Why?'

Chad looked up at me and shook his head. 'No reason, just asking…'

We were both silent for a moment. Chad ate his breakfast and I just looked around his room. I didn't know why, but I felt something was up. He seemed a bit weird and I wanted to know why.

'Did you forget about the game?' I wondered. He swallowed the food in his mouth and cleared his throat.

'Nah, I just overslept… I missed my alarm, too.'

'Happens' I said. Chad placed the empty plate on the nightstand and wiped his hands in his sheets.

'I'm gonna need a moment' he said and uncovered the rest of his body. 'I need to get dressed, shave, wash my teeth and take care of this on my head.'

I laughed and nodded my head. 'I get it.'

'You don't mind waiting here for me?' he asked as he hung his legs off the bed.

'Nope, I'm okay. Just don't take too long, because we won't make it on time' I advised. Chad got up from the bed, stretched his arms as wide as he could, making the muscles on his back flex. Then his relaxed them, stretched his neck and fixed his briefs. While he was sleeping, they travelled all around his waist, so that the front was almost at his side. Chad yawned once again and walked up to his closet.

I just watched him in silence. I was still basically a kid back then and to be honest, I haven't seen much of a half-naked guy before that. I did see Chad in his boxers that one time we went to the beach, but this was different. Bedroom is an intimate place, where people feel free to do anything – from dancing around in their underwear to sleeping naked. I think when people sleep, they are the most vulnerable; their brain and body basically shuts off and you could do anything with them. And the bedroom is a place where people feel safe, because there we pass out for ten hours and nothing happens to us.

Seeing Chad in his bedroom in the morning made me feel like watching an animal in its natural habitat. I've only known him from his boyfriend side, but I rarely got to see him do the basic, biological human actions, like sleeping or getting ready to go out. That's why being in his bedroom that early in the morning excited me; I got to see the natural side of him.

'Do you think today is a sweats day?' he asked suddenly. I snapped out of my daydream and looked at him.

'I don't know, it's warm outside…' I said. He looked at me.

'How about sweat shorts?' he asked and pulled them out of the closet, showing me a pair or gray shorts. I nodded my head.

'Sounds much better.'

'Alright. Now I need to find a clean T-shirt… Yeah, good luck with that' he mumbled and I smiled to myself. It seemed like he was getting his sense of humor back.

I watched him struggle with finding clothes and giggled. 'Do you need help?'

'Yeah, I could use some…' he said and gave me a sad look. I laughed and walked up to him. The view of his messy closet made me gasp.

'How do you even find anything to wear?' I asked. Chad picked up a random T-shirt.

'Like this' he said and sniffed it. 'This one is a…. no.'

He threw it on his bed and took out another one.

'And?' I wondered. He smiled.

'See for yourself' he said jokingly and tried to make me smell his T-shirt. I laughed and covered my nose with one hand. I used my other hand to push the T-shirt away from me.

'Ew, no way!' I said. Chad laughed and threw it on the bed.

'Good call' he said and continued sniffing clothes until he found a clean T-shirt.

'How about this one?' he asked and held it up. I looked at the green shirt, with a "It wasn't me" print and nodded my head.

'Yeah, that one will be great' I admitted. Chad smiled, threw the T-shirt on the bed and opened his arms for me.

'Come here!' he said and I moved away from him.

'No way, you stink' I said, but Chad didn't give up. He caught me in a bear hug and lifted me up.

'Oh come on, it's not that bad' he said as I laughed and tried to get away from him. 'Just a bit of the manly scent.'

'I want none of that. Put me down, Chad!'

He placed me back on the ground, but didn't let me out of his embrace. I ended up turning my back to him, but he didn't mind. He rested his chin on my shoulder and held me tight to himself.

'I missed you, Tay' he said in a baby voice. I smiled and raised my eyebrows.

'Did you, really? We've seen each other just yesterday' I pointed out. Chad sighed.

'Yeah and I missed you since then' he replied. 'You know what, maybe I could just ditch the game and the two of us could go hang out somewhere…'

'No, Chad' I said seriously and turned to face him. 'You promised your friends you'd be there and you have to show up.'

Chad pouted and I shook my head.

'Don't give me that' I warned. 'Go get dressed and we're going to your baseball game. We'll hang out once it's over, I promise.'

'Okay' he sighed. 'Can I at least get a kiss?'

'Nope' I said and put my finger on his lips. 'Wash your teeth first.'

'You're not fair today' he said, making it seem like he was upset, but I knew he was joking. I smiled.

'I know I'm not.'

He sighed theatrically once again, let me go, grabbed some clothes and made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>'Ready to go?' Chad asked me. I rolled my eyes.<p>

'Yes, but you aren't' I replied. I've been standing there, holding the door knob for about five minutes already. 'Hurry up, Danforth.'

'I'm going' he said with a chuckle. He grabbed his wallet, cellphone and house keys and pushed them into his pockets. Then he grabbed his red gym bag and took another look around the room. 'Wait, I'm forgetting something.'

'Chaaaad' I whined. He laughed and walked up to me.

'Oh, I just remembered what it was' he said and leaned in to give me a kiss. I put my hand on his chest to stop him.

'A jacket' I told him. 'You're forgetting a jacket. It might rain in the afternoon.'

Chad laughed once again. 'Oh come on, just one kiss' he begged. I shook my head.

'First you make me come here and find you sleeping, then you make me wait for you for twenty minutes while you take a shower and get dressed. We'll be late, Chad. You won't make it to your own game.'

'Fifteen minutes' he pointed out. 'It was only fifteen minutes. And I didn't even shave' he said and quickly pecked my lips.

'Right' I said after I managed to push him away. I winced and rubbed my chin. 'I can feel that.'

'And I didn't even do my hair' he continued. 'I didn't want to keep you waiting for too long. I just tied it back.'

I laughed. 'You need that for the game, silly. Nice try' I said as I turned the knob. Chad stopped me.

'Just so you know, you owe me like a million kisses' he said. I smiled.

'How so?'

'Because you always promise me kisses and I never get them…'

'Maybe today is your lucky day' I said and winked at him. He raised his eyebrows.

'Wait, what?'

'Let's get going' I told him and opened the door. Chad sighed and followed me downstairs.

'Mom, we're leaving' he announced as we passed the living room. Ms. Rossi looked up from her laptop screen.

'Where are you going?' she asked. Chad held up his bag.

'I got the baseball game today, remember? I told you about it earlier this week.'

His mother gave him an uneasy look, as if she was about to say something, but couldn't because I was there. She took off her glasses and rubbed her nasal bridge.

'And I understand you'll be coming back home right after it finishes, is that right?' she asked, but from her tone it was obvious she wasn't asking a question; she was telling him what she wanted him to do. Chad glanced at me and stepped into the living room.

'Well, I was thinking that after the game, Taylor and I could go to eat something…' he said unsurely. Ms. Rossi glanced at me before looking back at her son.

'Alright' she said softly. 'Just be back home at a reasonable hour. Your father will call in the evening and I want you to speak with him.'

'Okay, I'll be back early, I promise' Chad assured and walked over to his mother to give her a kiss. 'I can even call you and let you know where I'm at.'

Ms. Rossi smiled weakly. 'No need, Chad. Just keep your promise.'

'Will do' he assured and walked back to me. 'Bye Mom.'

'Goodbye, Ms. Rossi' I said.

'Have fun, kids' she told us. Chad and I quickly evacuated from his house.

While we walked down the street, Chad was silent. It was really odd, considering he was always the one to talk the most while we were together. And there he was, just walking in complete silence, with a dull look on his face.

'Chad?' I said, making him snap out of it. He looked at me.

'Yeah?'

'Everything alright?' I asked. Chad gave me a funny look.

'Why?'

'Because you seem really distant today.'

'Oh… I'm just tired, Tay. I didn't get much sleep last night' he explained.

'Poor thing' I said and squeezed his hand. If I wanted to get anything out of him, I had to be less nosy and more caring. 'What kept you up?'

'Couple of things' he answered and sighed. 'I just got home late, okay?'

'Really? I thought you said you couldn't leave the house' I told him, reminding him exactly what he told me the previous day. I kept turning him down all week, because of the load of homework and things to study, so I thought I'd make it up to him and set a date on Friday afternoon. But Chad said he couldn't make it, because his mother requested he stayed home and helped her with something. And now he was telling me he went out? I'd lie if I said I wasn't a little upset.

'Something came up. I had to get out of the house' he said seriously and looked ahead. Okay, so he was dodging my questions. I took a deep breath and tried another approach.

'Is that why your mother seemed a little suspicious as to where you were going?' I wondered when we approached the school building. We stopped walking and Chad turned to me.

'Look Tay, I don't wanna talk about it… At least not right now. Can we leave this for some other time?' he asked softly. I looked into his eyes and sighed. Alright, I really wanted to get to the bottom of this, but he was right. It wasn't a good idea to talk about it right in front of the school, especially since he didn't want to talk about it at all. I gave up and nodded my head.

'Fine. I don't want you to get upset before the game' I told him. He smiled weakly.

'Thanks' he said and held my hands. 'I'm gonna go change now. Maybe I'll see you before the game, if I change fast enough.'

'Hopefully. If not, good luck' I said, gently pulled him towards me and pecked his lips. He grinned.

'You make me not wanna leave' he admitted. I took my hands away from him and laughed.

'Go' I said, pointing at the school. He chuckled, gave me one last kiss on the cheek and ran inside.

I sighed and looked around, hoping Gabriella would turn up soon. Destiny was right; men _were_ like kids and dealing with them _was_ like babysitting.

I pulled out my cellphone and texted Gaby. She texted me back moments later, telling me she was already at the bleachers. I walked into the school and headed towards the back door, which lead to the outside courts.

When I got there, I saw Chad has already changed and was standing by his teammates, Troy and other people. I wanted to sneak by and get to Gaby, but he saw me and stopped me.

'Hey, come here' he said when I walked by and grabbed my hand. I gave up and stood by him.

'Hey' I greeted him and Troy. I felt Chad's arm around my waits and he looked at his friends.

'Guys, this is Taylor' he introduced me to the rest of them. I put a smile on my face and tried to act natural, even though meeting his friends was still a stressful experience to me.

'Hey' I said and awkwardly waved my hand, which thankfully turned out to look cute. _Nice try, Taylor. Don't do that ever again. _

The guys all introduced themselves, but no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't remember any of their names. Not sure if it was because of stress or because they all talked really fast. And I was never that good with names anyways.

The baseball coach called all the guys to gather around him, so Chad gave me a swift peck and ran away with the boys, leaving me all alone with a girl I just noticed was standing there the whole time.

'Hey, you're Tony's sister, right?' she asked. I nodded my head.

'Yeah.'

She smiled and pulled her hand out. 'I'm Tanya.'

'Nice to meet you' I said with a smile, shaking her hand.

'Hey, let's get out of here before we get knocked out with a baseball.'

I agreed and we headed towards the bleachers.

'I used to date your brother, you know' she said as we climbed up the bleachers. I took another look at her and realized she did seem kind of familiar. Well, all I knew about her was that she was a senior and wasn't a part of any specific group; she was kinda just there.

'Oh, I'm sorry' I said, which made her laugh.

'Thanks… It wasn't as bad as you could imagine, but thanks anyways.'

I looked around and finally spotted Gaby sitting by herself. I figured it wouldn't be polite to say goodbye to Tanya and head over to Gabriella, so I got an idea.

'Are you sitting with anyone?' I wondered. 'You can join me and my friend over there.'

She smiled and nodded her head. 'Sure. My friends don't come to these, so I could use some company, if you guys don't mind.'

'Of course not, come on' I encouraged and we headed to where Gaby was sitting. 'Why aren't your friends here?'

'They don't like baseball I guess' she replied. 'Or they just don't like cheering for their boyfriends, I don't know.'

Gaby finally noticed us as we approached her. I looked at Tanya.

'This is Gabriella-' I stared, but she cut me off.

'No need to introduce us, we've met already' she said. I looked at Gaby.

'Yeah, we have' she admitted. 'We met after a game once.'

'Oh, okay' I said as we took a seat. Tanya reached for her purse and took out a plastic box.

'Yeah, we're basically the Basketball Wives of East High' she explained and opened the box. 'Blueberry?'

Gaby and I both took some and Tanya continued talking.

'We met last year, when Gabriella started coming to Troy's games.'

'Yeah' Gaby said. 'I sat alone like a weirdo, so Tanya came up to me.'

'Weirdo or not, she was the only one worth talking to' Tanya admitted and we giggled. 'The other girlfriends are just plain rude and they've created this clique full of mean idiots.'

'How come you never introduced me?' I asked Gaby. She shrugged.

'Because you were not there or we always missed Tanya, so there wasn't really a chance' she explained.

'That's why I decided to introduce myself' Tanya said and waved her hand at me. I laughed.

'Good thing you did. This one here is so careless, she'd just forget' I said and shook my head at Gaby. She looked at me.

'Hey, everything was just against it. Besides, you weren't officially Chad's girlfriend yet, so I didn't know if you'd wanna hang out with us aka the girlfriends' she told me.

'Hey, that's right' Tanya said suddenly. 'How'd you and Chad get together? I've heard you guys didn't like each other much.'

I shrugged. 'It's complicated…We always fought when we were kids, but I guess we grew out of it. And that's really it.'

'You guys were childhood friends? That's cute' Tanya said with a smile. 'You know, I think it's good Chad finally got with someone normal. His previous girlfriends were awful. Trust me, I was forced to hang out with them at the parties and such. I mean, you guys saw the cheer squad drama two years ago, right?'

'Yes' we both replied with disgust. No one will ever forget the catfight between two girls, who started off as good friends, but ended up as arch nemeses when Chad came around. So tacky.

'It wasn't fair to see him suffer with those attention seeking idiots, not to mention the queen of them all: Paige. He's a really nice guy, so it was weird, you know? But looks like the poor guy finally came around and managed to score out of his league.'

_Was that a compliment? I think that was a compliment._ I stared at Tanya and hoped for an explanation, but she was eating the blueberries and her eyes were glued to the field. Gaby nudged me and smiled.

'That's what I've been telling her!' she spoke up. 'Taylor was overreacting, because she thought people thought she was just a nerd and would make fun of her.'

'Gaby!' I hissed and slapped her arm, but Tanya giggled.

'Girl, give yourself some credit' she said. 'You don't have a beef with anyone. You're like one of the smartest kids in school. You're the president of the Chemistry Club. Basketball is huge in this school and you're the coach's daughter. You're Tony's and Destiny's sister. You're basically set for life in East High. Not to even mention the way you got that Derrick guy back for spreading rumors was AH-mazing. And now you're dating Chad Danforth. You've got nothing to worry about.'

I blinked twice. 'Are you serious?' I asked. She nodded her head and put another blueberry in her mouth.

'Yeah. I'm surprised the cheerleaders haven't come up with a way to overthrow you, but I guess that's slightly too complicated for their chicken brains.'

'See Tay?' Gaby said with a smile. 'I told you!'

'Thanks' I told Tanya. She grinned.

'No problem. You have nothing to thank for, that's the truth. And just a tip for the future, don't worry about what people think. The most important thing is what you think of yourself. And if you're cool with being who you are, other people will just have to accept it.'

I sat back in my seat and smiled to myself. That was something I really needed to hear. And coming from a cool, laidback and popular person it really boosted my confidence. She was right. I had to stop worrying about the people and focus on my relationship with Chad. After all, I couldn't make everyone happy, but I could make us happy about being together.

'Did you hear from Tony?' Tanya wondered. 'How's he doing?'

'He's alright, I guess' I replied. 'He doesn't call too often, so I don't know much.'

'How come you and him broke up?' Gaby asked her. Tanya shrugged.

'It was great, but it wasn't going to work out. He was moving and going to college, so I knew I couldn't force him to still date me. Long distance doesn't work out for most people, you know.'

* * *

><p>'What do you think about her?' Gaby asked once Tanya walked away with her boyfriend Rick. I looked at her.<p>

'She's cool.'

'Isn't she? Tay, I can't believe you've never talked. She dated your brother' Gaby pointed out. I shrugged.

'Hey, a lot of girls dated my brother. Besides, do you think he introduces any of them to us? He's done that maybe two times.'

We were sitting in front of the school waiting for the boys to come out. Most of them already left, including the Rick guy, so Gaby and I grew impatient with every moment.

'I knew you'd like her' Gaby said. 'She made me feel less of an outcast when I started dating Troy. And you know, she's nothing like the Mean Girls clique. They didn't even say hi to me.'

'I'm glad there are some normal people in this school' I admitted. 'It does make you feel less lonely.'

'True. And what she said, about you being more than just a nerd… She was right. I'm sure more people think that way' Gaby assured and leaned on me. I smiled.

'Well, from now on I don't care about other people' I said proudly and we both laughed. A moment later Troy walked up to us.

'Hey guys' he greeted. Gabriella got up, gave him a kiss and he wrapped his arms around her. I scrunched my nose.

'It's only been ten minutes' I said, making them laugh. Troy shook his head.

'That's ten minutes too long without her' he said and kissed Gaby. I looked away.

'Yeah, pretend I'm not here' I mumbled. Gaby giggled and stepped away from Troy.

'Sorry' she said innocently. I looked up at her boyfriend.

'Is Chad still in there?' I asked. He nodded.

'Yeah, when I was leaving he was drying his hair' he told me. I rolled my eyes.

'Great, I'm stuck here until the evening' I whined sarcastically. Troy laughed.

'Oh, you know Chad and his hair. He's got to make it prefect for you' he teased and took a seat next to me. I tried to hold back a smile.

'Do you think he knows I don't care about his hair?'

'Nah, I think he thinks you take it as seriously as he does' he admitted. I sighed.

'Alright then. I guess all I can do is just let him think that' I said. Troy laughed once again and Gaby ran her hand through his hair.

'Come on, you take yours seriously as well' she said. He raised his eyebrows.

'Are you kidding? Have you seen his hair? I'm pretty sure he'd have a mental breakdown if someone tried to cut it. And I wouldn't have a problem with shaving my head.'

'Well, I would' Gaby said seriously. 'So don't you dare.'

While Gaby kissed Troy (for like what, the tenth time already?) I looked at the school entrance and saw people coming out, but no Chad among them. He never took that long in the locker room, so it meant something was up with him. Something strange.

'Hey Troy, did you talk to Chad today?' I asked. Troy let Gaby sit on his lap and gave me a funny look.

'You mean like at all…?'

'Yes. I'm wondering if you noticed anything odd about him' I explained. Troy shrugged.

'I don't know… He did seem a little absentminded today, but I didn't ask about it. There were too many people around anyways.'

'Is something wrong with him?' Gaby asked curiously. I sighed.

'I don't know. He seems weird, that's it. And he was alright just yesterday, so I'm kind of worried.'

'Hey, if anything was wrong, Chad would tell you' she assured. 'Maybe he's just having a bad day.'

'I hope so…' I said and looked down. Gaby put her hand on my shoulder.

'We can wait here with you until he comes, if you want' she offered. I shook my head.

'No need. I bet you two have better plans. Besides, Chad and I have plans too, so it wouldn't be fair to keep you waiting for nothing.'

'Fine' Troy said when Gaby got off his lap. 'I guess it's double date some other time then.'

He was trying to make it seem like he was upset, but we all knew he was joking. Guys just hated those things. I smiled.

'Yeah, sorry.'

'Bye Tay' Gaby said and took Troy's hand. 'Have fun.'

'You too, guys.'

Troy waved at me and they walked away. I sighed and looked back at the school. _What was taking him so long?_

It was really hot that day, but the warm breeze made it slightly less exhausting. I looked at the sky and wondered if it would rain. After all, the weather forecast said so. There were a few clouds in the sky, but it wasn't anything scary… at least they didn't mean a storm was any close. I stared for some time, until I felt a hand on my back. I flinched and turned around, only to see Chad standing behind me.

'Hey' he said with a smile. 'Didn't mean to scare you.'

'No, it's okay' I told him. He sat down next to me and looked up at the sky.

'It's nice, huh?'

I stared at him and waited for an apology… or at least an explanation, but he just sat there with his head up. Was I supposed to ask? Maybe that's what he wanted.

'What took you so long?' I wondered. He looked at me and shrugged.

'There was a line to the showers, so I had to wait' he replied carelessly.

'Um… But everyone left like ten minutes ago.'

'I know, I know… Look, I'm just kinda slow today. And having to wash and dry my hair doesn't make it any easier' he admitted. 'I'm sorry I kept you waiting.'

'It's okay… I just thought something held you up' I said. Chad smiled.

'Nothing can hold me up when I'm supposed to meet up with you' he said, got up and pulled out his hand for me to take. I grabbed it and got up.

'Except for that hair' I joked, which made Chad chuckle.

'You want me to get rid of it, don't you?'

'No' I assured as we started walking. 'Of course not… Although, I can't help wondering what you'd look like without it.'

'Probably like a fifth grader…' he said and we both laughed. 'But the day I get to shave it off will come.'

'Too bad' I said. Chad fixed the gym bag hanging on his shoulder, shoved his hands in his pockets and I wrapped my arm around his. 'But you do look good with your hair pulled back, so maybe having it cut wouldn't be too much of a tragedy.'

'And what if I ended up looking like I did when I was seven?'

'I don't know… Grow a beard? That usually makes guys look older' I said. Chad ran his hand over his chin.

'Hmm… That's not a bad idea. After all, I'm too lazy to shave in the mornings. And I wouldn't have to spend so much time on grooming my hair… That is a win-win situation.'

'Hey, slow down. You're not cutting anything yet' I said seriously and Chad chuckled.

'So I understand you don't want me to cut it?' he asked. I shrugged.

'Well… Not yet. I like it the way it is' I admitted. 'For now.'

'Okay, then it's not going anywhere.'

I was surprised when we stopped at Scott's parents' diner, but Chad said it was about time we used that discount he promised us. We walked inside and sat down at a booth in the corner. I looked around and realized it was a small, but a cozy place. It was Canadian themed, so everything was a mixture of red and white, from the walls to tablecloths. Pictures of landscapes hung on the walls, there were a lot of souvenirs here and there and one of the walls had a photograph wallpaper of the Canadian flag. It was all in good taste. Not to even mention the smell coming from the kitchen, which was amazing. Besides us, there was a family with kids there, sitting all the way across the room.

'I'm starving' Chad said and put his hand on his belly. I gave him a funny look.

'You had like ten French toasts for breakfast' I told him, but he raised his eyebrows.

'What's your point?'

'Right. I forgot your stomach was a black hole.'

Chad laughed and I shook my head at him. No matter how much he ate, that guy could never get full. And the most unfair thing was that he was always really fit. If I ate as much as he did, I would have to invest in a new set of pants.

'Hey man!' Chad called. I looked up and saw him smiling at someone behind me, so I turned around and saw Scott approaching us.

'Hey guys' he greeted as he stood by our table. 'I see you finally found some time and decided to try us out.'

'Well' Chad started and looked at me. 'The truth is I'm kinda short on money, so I was drawn by the discount.'

I shook my head at him and Scott laughed.

'I hear ya, buddy. I'll go talk to my parents and see what I can do' he promised. I looked up at him.

'You work here?' I wondered. Scott scratched the back of his head.

'Yeah… Well, you could say so. I do the dishes and earn my allowance, you know. But it's more about being in the family business and helping my parents out.'

A waitress approached our table and handed us the menus. She was the average height, had brown hair and sapphire eyes. She was around my sister's age, maybe a little younger. She was really pretty, so I instinctively glanced at Chad. He gave her a quick look and then looked into his menu, clearly not interested. I don't know whether it was because he didn't find her attractive or if the hunger blinded him, but I was satisfied with his reaction.

'That's my sister, by the way' Scott said fast, making the girl stop in her tracks and turn to us. 'Guys, this is Jena. Jena, Chad and Taylor, my friends.'

'Hey' she smiled at us. 'Should I give you a minute or do you already know what you will order.'

I glanced at Chad and realized he was so into the menu, he didn't pay attention to anything and anyone else. I rolled my eyes.

'Uh, I'm guessing we'll need a moment' I said and pointed at Chad. Jena giggled.

'If you're having trouble, I could just suggest something' she said. Chad looked up.

'I'm all ears' he said.

'Pancakes' Scott said quickly.

'Yeah' Jena added. 'I don't wanna brag, but we make kickass pancakes.'

Chad and I exchanged looks. I nodded my head and he closed the menu.

'We'll take it.'

'Awesome. It will take a moment' she said and walked away. Scott looked at us.

'I'll let my dad know you guys are my friends' he promised. 'It was great seeing you. Have fun.'

He smiled for the last time, shook Chad's hand and walked away. I was glad him and Chad were friends, especially after Chad found out Scott asked me out. I still don't know why I thought he would get upset. Chad wasn't one to get obsessively jealous. He was a little jealous sometimes, but that was healthy. However, I didn't want to push it, that's why I tried to talk to Scott as little as possible and avoided being around him when Chad wasn't there. It was bad enough I kept the whole thing a secret in the first place, so I didn't want to upset him again.

'Hey, I was thinking of getting a job' Chad said suddenly. I looked at him.

'What?' I asked and realized that sounded mean and a little judgmental. 'I mean, why?'

'Well, I could get some money' he said and started playing with the salt shaker. 'It would come regularly, so I could stop spending my birthday money and start saving it. I could maybe save up enough for a working car. I got my driver's license, but I don't get to use it. My mom would never let me take her car and even if, she'd check up on me constantly and freak out until I came back with it.'

I stared at him; I was speechless. _Is Chad maturing in front of my eyes? Is he making adult decisions? Is that really happening? What?_

'Tay' he said and waved his hand in front of me. I snapped out of it.

'That's a good idea' I said blankly and locked eyes with him. 'If you think it's necessary, then I guess it is.'

'Oh, you know… It's nothing serious. I've only been thinking about it for a few days. It sounds good, but it's hard to do. I could even do dishes or pack someone's groceries. The thing is I'd spend less time with you and others and I wouldn't have time for school and other things.'

'I think you should think about it' I told him. 'Talk to your parents, think if it's really what you want.'

'Hey, you know I'm lazy and this wouldn't be fun for me' he admitted and took my hand. 'But I'd wanna make some money, so I could take you out more often and drive you around.'

'Chad, don't do it if you're gonna do it for me' I said seriously. 'It's really sweet of you, but you have enough sports activities and you do need a rest. Working would just deprive you of your rest and you'd mess up in school. That would be much worse than taking a bus once in a while.'

'But I thought…' he started, but I cut him off. I squeezed his hand.

'I know and that's amazing, really. But you shouldn't mess everything up just to treat me. We've been dating for almost four months now and I never minded walking everywhere and eating at fast-food chains. Quite frankly, we could even eat just apples for lunch and take two hour long hikes everywhere and I'd still be the happiest girl in the world. I like you for who you are, not for what you give me. I don't want you to do something, if it's gonna make you unhappy. Don't get a job because of me.'

Chad stared at me and finally a smile appeared on his face.

'I really wanna kiss you now' he admitted. I giggled and let go of his hand.

'Pancakes first. Then we'll see what happens.'

'Tay, I…' he spoke up, but his voice got caught up in his throat. He stared at me for a moment with his mouth opened, trying to make a sound.

'Yes?' I asked with a smile. Chad cleared his throat.

'I… I just… I just want you to know that.. I just…' he stuttered and looked into my eyes. And then it became clear. With one glance our minds connected and I knew exactly what he felt. I blushed.

'I "just…" you too' I replied and looked down at the menu in front of me. Chad smiled and let out a deep breath. I couldn't help smiling at how adorable he was when he blushed.

* * *

><p>'Oh man' Chad groaned as we sat on the grass. 'I'm gonna explode.'<p>

I giggled and watched him lay down on the ground. After we finished our pancakes, I suggested we went somewhere to rest. And of course we ended up at the park. I didn't want to return home, because I still didn't get my daily dose of Chad. I needed to spend some more time with him and the park was the perfect place.

'I told you you shouldn't have eaten my last pancake' I told him and picked a little flower. Chad shook his head.

'And I told you I'm not gonna see food being wasted' he said and placed his hand over his belly. 'Especially the good food.'

'You _are_ going to explode one day' I said and looked at the flower. Chad chuckled.

'Will you miss me a lot, or just a little bit?' he wondered. I shrugged.

'I guess I would... What worries me the most is that it would be embarrassing to tell people what happened to you' I admitted. Chad sat up and stretched.

'I know… Well, good thing I wore my eating pants' he said, hooked his thumbs on the waistband of his sweat shorts and pulled on it, showing me how stretchy they were. I laughed.

'My sister has pregnant pants… You know, the ones that stretch as the tummy grows, so you don't have to buy new pants constantly. I could get them for you once she doesn't need them anymore.'

Chad blinked twice. 'Tay, I know you're joking, but it does sound really good…'

I laughed once again and shook my head at him.

'Whatever pants you wear, I'm not sure if your skin can hold it all in' I said and reached for a part of his abs, that got exposed while he demonstrated the stretchiness of his shorts. I pinched his skin and gasped. 'Holy crap, you have no fat tissue, do you?'

Chad laughed. 'I don't know. Maybe you should continue touching and see what you find?'

I looked up at his face and saw he was smirking. I cleared my throat and my hand travelled back to my lap.

'Scott wasn't lying' I said. 'The pancakes were good.'

'I know' he admitted and pulled out his cellphone. 'We gotta go there more often.'

I watched him tap his fingers on the screen and got a little curious.

'What'cha doing?' I wondered.

'Texting my mom' he answered. 'I thought I'd let her know where I'm at.'

'Um… She said you didn't have to' I reminded. Chad locked his phone and pushed it back into his pocket.

'Yeah, I know. But I knew she didn't mean it. And I don't want her to worry.'

Okay, we were getting back to why he was odd the whole day. I decided it was my chance to get him to talk to me about it. It wasn't like I wanted to know everything about Chad's life and invade his privacy, but I worried about him and hated seeing him like this. We were joking and flirting, but I could sense something was up. The way he spaced out when we weren't saying anything was strange and unusual for him. I figured if we talked about it, I could help him get over it. I didn't know if it would work out, but I wanted to try.

'Why would she worry about you?' I asked softly. Chad bit his lips and looked into my eyes.

'Because…' he started and let out a deep breath. 'I messed up big time yesterday.'

'What happened?'

Chad hung his head up and stared at the ground.

'I told you I couldn't go out yesterday. And that was true. Mom wanted me to help her out with assembling Charlie's new crib. Afterwards we got into a fight and I got pissed and didn't want to be around her, so I grabbed my jacket and left. It was around 6pm, so I could walk around before having to go back home. I didn't know where to go, so I called up my friend Rob… you know, the one we met at McDonald's the other day?'

'Yeah' I replied, trying to cover up the fear in my tone. I was scared this was going to be one of those stories you wish you had never heard, but Chad was willing to tell me about it and I had to be there for him. I cleared my throat. 'Um, he was nice.'

'He is nice, so that's why I called him. He's got his own place, so I wouldn't have to worry about any parents annoying us. He told me to come over, because him and a few guys were playing video games. I called up Troy and he agreed to go with me.'

Chad paused for a moment. He was nervously picking grass from the ground. I guess I was even more nervous than him, because this could go in a lot of ways. If he's done something bad and irresponsible, a good girlfriend would have to stay on his side no matter what. But I was different. My personality wouldn't let me stand by someone, who clearly has done something dumb and had to deal with the consequences. I was scared he'd tell me something, that would make me criticize him and get in a fight and eventually… My mind was skipping ahead, which really annoyed me. But I couldn't help it. I managed to keep a poker face, but deep inside I was praying Chad hasn't done anything ridiculous.

'So we went there and hung out for some time' Chad continued. 'And you know, they're college students. They always have booze laying around…'

I held my breath. _Please, please, please…_

'I was really angry, so as I sat with my eyes on the screen, I had two, maybe three beers. Before I realized it, it was 10pm. I wouldn't have noticed that if it weren't for Troy, who just sat there staring at the clock, occasionally telling me we should head back home. I guess I finally came around and agreed with him. Troy insisted he should walk me home, but I didn't need it. I wasn't drunk or anything, just a little dizzy. We split up at the bus stop and I walked home by myself. I got home around 11 and my mom was waiting for me.'

I let the air out of my lungs slowly._ Okay, okay. Nothing happened. He got home safely. He didn't do anything stupid._ I relaxed and put my hand on his shoulder.

'Chad-' I said, but he cut me off.

'When I saw her in the living room, sitting there by herself, just staring at her cellphone, I felt so fucking guilty. I realized that the whole night I haven't even thought of her once. I didn't even remember we had a fight and that I left her all alone. I didn't realize she could have been worrying about me. And when she saw me in the door, the first thing she did was ask me where I went. She was so calm. But the second she walked up to me and I opened my mouth, she smelled the beer and flipped out. I've never seen her this angry. She screamed at me, saying I was irresponsible and not thinking about consequences. She said something could've happened to me and she wouldn't know. I didn't say anything and let her get it out. She was right. I am stupid.'

Chad paused again and took a deep breath. I felt my heart trembling. The way he spoke about made it clear he was genuinely sorry for what he's done. I sighed, wrapped my arm around him and rested my head on his shoulder.

'Did you apologize to her?' I wondered. He shook his head.

'No. I tried yesterday, but I was a mess and she sent me to my room. She was saying something about talking about this once I came back to my senses, but Charlie started crying and she went to take care of him.'

That was the moment I met the changed Chad. He's always been this funny, laidback, jokester kid. He was friends with everyone, everyone adored him and he had no enemies. He was popular and no one would ever say anything bad about him. He was famous for how friendly and positive he was. Besides his sometimes bad grades, his mother had no problems with him. He would always help her, always be there for her, because they both only had each other.

That day at the park I experienced his transformation; from a goofy teenager to a mature young adult. He made a really stupid teenage mistake. Teenagers usually don't think twice before doing something and don't think about consequences. They're emotional, rebellious and careless. Chad let his emotions take the best of him and made a teenage mistake. But what made him mature was the way he reflected upon it. He was aware it was a foolish thing to do. When he told me the story, he didn't once mention how it impacted him. He only said the argument with his mother made him angry, which was quite understandable. Later he only talked about how his mother must've felt this whole time. She was probably disappointed and upset and Chad knew that very well. He didn't care how his behavior made him feel. Sure, he might have woken up with a hangover. He could feel nauseated the whole day. But all he worried about was how that one little mistake impacted his mother and their relations. He felt bad for making her worry about him and having her stay up, just waiting for him to return. He felt bad for making her scream at him, not because he thought he didn't deserve it, but because he hated to see her angry.

That one story made me think differently of Chad. I suddenly felt safe with him, because I was no longer dealing with a kid; he was turning into an adult, which was really amazing. It made me feel safe, because being in a relationship with an emotionally mature person meant no silly arguments or dumb disagreements. He would be able to make rational decisions, which was really unusual for a 17 year old.

'Is that the reason you were sad all day?' I asked after a long moment of silence. Chad sighed.

'Yeah… Among other things. I just don't know what to do… Or how to make it up to her. I know that for now, while Dad lives in New York, we depend on each other. And I don't want her to think that from now on all I'll be doing is being an idiot.'

'You have to apologize to her' I told him and lifted my head up. 'You're right, you two only have each other. That's why you have to tell her you're sorry and let her know it won't happen again. You need to prove that you are able to help her and not get into trouble.'

'You're right' he admitted. 'I'll talk to her when I come home. She probably told my father about it all, so I need to prepare for a lecture.'

I smiled and reached over to stroke his arm. 'Hey, you know you deserve it.'

'I do' he said and looked at me. 'Thanks for hearing me out. I needed to talk to someone about it… And Troy wouldn't understand.'

'Maybe he would… Well, either way, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me this.'

'Of course I do' he said and smiled for the first time in thirty minutes. 'You're my girlfriend and my best friend. I can't imagine talking to anyone else.'

I blushed and saw that even though Chad was smiling, there was some sadness beaming from his eyes. I put my hand on his cheek and pulled him closer, so I could peck his lips.

'Don't worry about it, Chad' I said and looked into his eyes. 'You're gonna talk to her, apologize and everything will be okay.'

He didn't say anything, only nodded his head. I figured he wouldn't get over it in just a second, so I decided it'd be best to change the subject. However, one thing bothered me a little.

'How come you got into an argument?' I asked. As far as I knew, Chad never fought with his mother. I mean, yeah, every child fought with parents, but it was usually just silly. Parents tend to get angry when you don't do the dishes, forget to clean up or walk the dog. And that's normal. I couldn't figure out what upset Chad so much, he had to leave the house. When he sighed, I knew it wouldn't be easy to get it out of him.

'I'd rather not talk about it, Tay' he admitted. 'I don't wanna think about it, either.'

That, followed by a miserable facial expression made me drop the subject as fast as I picked it up.

'Okay. I'm sorry… How come you didn't come over to talk to me yesterday?' I asked. I thought Chad would get even more upset, but relaxed. He picked some grass and shrugged.

'I don't know… I thought about it, I really did' he admitted and looked at me. 'But I guess I needed someone from the outside… I didn't need to think or talk about it… I just had to forget.'

'Did it work?'

'For a moment.'

'Don't do that ever again' I begged.

'I won't. I promise.'

I leaned in and kissed him. At that moment I didn't know how to help him, although letting him deal with it on his own seemed like something he wanted to do. I decided I wouldn't ask him about the argument he had with his mother; if he felt the need to talk about it, he knew where to find me.

After we pulled away, Chad pulled me to sit in between his legs and wrapped his arms around me. Okay, so cuddling was what he needed. I rested my head on his chest and relaxed in his arms. I could use some cuddling, too.

'Tay?' he said quietly.

'Yes?'

'Can you promise me one thing?'

I looked up at him.

'Promise me that no matter what happens' he continued. 'We'll always stay like this. Close to each other. Able to tell each other anything.'

'Why wouldn't we?' I asked.

'Just promise' he said. I nodded my head.

'I promise.'

He kissed my forehead and I smiled. Sure, his tone worried me, but I thought he was still apathetic from yesterday, so he said random things. At that time I could never guess what he meant by that and that the most painful experience of my life was still around a corner.

'You know what I've been dreaming of for a while now?' he asked.

'What?'

'A private spot where you and I could just cuddle all day long' he admitted in a sleepy voice. I giggled.

'Why? Cuddling your sheets just doesn't do the charm anymore, huh?' I teased. Chad raised his eyebrows.

'You saw that?'

'Yeah' I said with a smile. 'When I walked into your room today, I saw your arm around the covers. You looked adorable.'

'Whatever' he said and from his tone I could tell he blushed. 'It's just a thing that I do, okay? When I was a kid, I used to sleep with my teddy bear… and now I can't fall asleep without… hugging something.'

I looked up at his face. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah…'

'Wow' I said and held back laughter. 'I don't know if that's the cutest or the weirdest story I've ever heard.'

'Okay, okay. I get it. I'm a kid. Hilarious' he said and wrapped his arms tighter around me. 'You know, if you agreed to be my new cuddling toy, I could stop hugging sheets.'

He leaned in and pecked my neck, which made me giggle and move my head out of his reach.

'Not so fast, Danforth' I said. 'How do I know you don't suck your thumb?'

'Hey, I don't do that!' he defended himself. 'Missing a teddy bear is one thing. Sucking thumbs is different. It's a whole new level of weird.'

'I know. You're on the adorable level of weird' I joked. 'And sucking thumbs is on a creepy level.'

'Exactly' Chad laughed. 'I just need some legit cuddles, that's all.'

I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and smiled. Spending time with Chad was like therapy. I forgot about the stressful week of school and was able to relax in his arms.

'You know what? A private cuddling spot wouldn't be so bad.'

Taylor M.


	34. Chapter 34

**Woah look who's back. Did you guys think I left? I hope you didn't because I promise I won't! I just had a lot going on, especially since school started in the meantime. But I'm not trying to excuse myself. I know I should get it together and write and post more often. I promise I'll do my best to do that! :)**

**(the update to the chapter includes a line to divide the chapter, because before it made no sense. Sorry for that!)**

**For now, enjoy the chapter and feel free to review or something :)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>'Seriously dad, I can't talk to you about anything, can I?'<p>

When I walked into the kitchen, I bumped into my sister, who was clearly storming out the McKessie way; head up high and a really angry look on her face. She mumbled something and headed towards her room, leaving me all alone with my father.

'Morning, Tay' he smiled and sipped his coffee. I gave him a funny look.

'Um… She okay?' I asked. Dad shrugged and picked up his briefcase from the floor.

'Is she ever okay?' he asked ironically and packed some papers. I sat at the table, across from him.

'What happened?'

'I don't know… She said something about moving out and moving in with her boyfriend… To be honest, I stopped listening at "moving out". But she kept talking and I said she had to wait for your mother to get home and you saw the rest.'

I sighed. 'Is Destiny going crazy?'

'Crazy. Pregnant. Same thing' he admitted and closed his briefcase. 'All I know is that you should always…'

'Stay out of the pregnant woman's way' I finished, making Dad smile.

'Exactly' he said and got up. 'That is why I'm more than happy to work on the weekends.'

'Where are you going?' I wondered. My father rested his briefcase on top of the table and grabbed his jacket off the chair.

'School. Got some paper work to catch up on and I don't get much time to focus on it while the kids are there' he explained.

'Were you there yesterday?'

'Yeah.'

'How come I didn't see you?' I asked. Dad raised an eyebrow.

'What do you mean? Were you there yesterday?'

'Yeah' I nodded my head. 'Chad had a baseball game and he invited me to see him play.'

'Oh' Dad said and looked down. He checked his pockets and took a look around the kitchen. 'Did he talk to you?'

'About what…?' I asked slowly. My father stared at me for a moment before smiling.

'Um. Didn't he tell you he ran into me?' he asked, this time sounding a lot less tense. I raised my eyebrows.

'No, he didn't mention anything… Why would he? What happened?' I asked seriously. Dad chuckled and picked up his keys from the counter.

'Nothing' he said simply. 'I'm just asking, because I told him to say hi to you. I joked about the fact that he gets to see you more often than I do and we laughed. Look, I gotta go now.'

'Dad, no' I said and turned to him. 'Can you tell me what's going on?'

'Nothing, baby' he assured and kissed my forehead. Then he headed towards the door. 'Have a nice day. Make yourself some breakfast. Don't burn the house down. Don't get your sister angry. Your mother will be back at 11. Bye!'

The door shut. I sat there for a moment, just wondering what had gotten into him. My father never acted this way. He was always straightforward and he definitely wouldn't be joking around with Chad. He mostly smiled and chuckled when he was trying to get away from the conversation and I knew that very well. He was saying so much because he was nervous and tried to talk over me to keep me from asking questions. But what was he hiding?

I grabbed a bowl of cereal before heading back to my room. I sneaked by Destiny's room, keeping Dad's advice in mind. She was unpredictable and I seriously didn't want to get in her way. What if she was just sitting there, ready to knock someone's head off? And I was the only someone in the whole house.

I finished breakfast, took a shower and changed into some fresh clothes. When I was looking around my room, searching for a distraction, I heard my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I picked it up and answered it.

'Hello?'

'Hey Tay' Chad said on the other line. 'Got a minute? Mind if I come over?'

'No, of course not' I said with a smile. 'Come on over.'

'Alright, I'll be there in a sec.'

I hung up, put my phone away and was about to walk downstairs, when I remembered it was Chad I talked to. I shook my head and walked up to my balcony instead. When I opened the door, he was already jumping off the branch.

'Hey' I greeted. He walked up to me, gently pushed me inside and closed the drapes. I gave him a funny look. 'Everything okay?'

'Yeah, yeah. But my mom thinks I'm in my room' he explained and looked at me. 'I don't want her to know I sneaked out for a moment.'

'Okay. So, what brings you here?' I wondered. Chad smiled and wrapped his arms around me.

'I missed you' he said and leaned in to give me a kiss. I gladly kissed him back, only to break it off a moment later.

'Do you really want to make out by the window?' I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck. 'Your mom could see us from your room.'

'She couldn't see us, because I closed the drapes' he said with a proud smile. I raised my eyebrows.

'Really? Then why do I see her right there?'

'What?!' Chad said, jumped up and quickly turned around, just to see the drapes perfectly closed. He sighed and gave me an irritated look, which made me laugh.

'I'm sorry' I said innocently. He shook his head and sat on my bed.

'Was that really necessary?' he asked, looking up at me. I smiled.

'I'm sorry, Chad. I just wanted to see how you'd react' I told him. 'Can I make it up?'

'Well, you could come here and give me another kiss' he said and pouted. I giggled and stood in front of him.

'Really? Don't you want to talk to me at all? You just wanna kiss?' I teased. Chad grinned.

'Yeah… Well, I'd love to stay and talk all day, but I'm kinda grounded and I stopped by for literally a second' he explained as I took seat next to him.

'How come you're grounded?' I wondered. Chad sighed and lied back on the bed.

'I called my dad yesterday and I explained to him what I did. He got upset and gave me a lecture, but I'm not gonna go into detail about this, because I seriously can't remember what he said' he admitted and I shook my head at him. 'But I know he was angry and suggested that the best punishment would be grounding me for two weeks. And my mom liked that idea.'

I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them. 'What else did he say?'

'You know, the same old things… That I behaved irresponsibly and I was being selfish and not thinking about my mother, who was worrying sick about me. But as soon as Mom left the room, he went easy on me. I mean, yeah, he was still angry, but I'd much rather have him scream at me than just hear he was disappointed, so that was painful. And he once again said that it was my duty to take care of Mom and help her out with Charlie and everything else, and cause as little trouble as possible. I promised I'd get it together and act like a man.'

I smiled at him and rubbed his arm. 'That's really good, Chad. Did you talk to your mom?'

'Yes, I have. I apologized and said I would stop acting like an idiot and help her whenever she needed it.'

'And? How did that go?'

'Good' he replied with a smile. 'We hugged and I discovered women cry when they're happy.'

I giggled. 'Didn't you know that?'

'Yeah, I did. But I never knew someone would cry because of a simple thing like that.'

'I bet it meant a lot to her, Chad' I told him. 'I'm kinda proud of you.'

'Oh really?' he asked and sat up. 'Why?'

'Because you're acting like a grown up' I admitted. I sat a little closer to him and glanced at his lips. 'For some reason, I find that really… exciting.'

Chad smirked. 'Oh, is that so? Grown up turns you on, huh? Does that mean that if I came here wearing a suit and with a briefcase, you'd rip my clothes off?'

'Maybe' I giggled. 'But you're only wearing a T-shirt and basketball shorts, so…'

I gave him a playful smile and leaned back. Chad laughed.

'I gotta keep that in mind next time I come here…. You know, when I'm not grounded anymore.'

'How grounded are you?'

'Very' he answered and scratched the back of his head. 'After school I gotta come straight home, no going out on the weekends unless I have an important basketball game and no friends over at my place.'

'That's tough' I admitted. Chad sighed and nodded his head.

'Yeah, but they let me keep all my toys and I can watch TV and stuff… But I don't do it, because it'd be kinda rude to isolate myself from Mom… I figured I could just hang out around her until she got annoyed and ordered me to go to my room. That way she could never complain about me not wanting to talk to her.'

'That's genius' I laughed, which made Chad laugh too.

'Thank you, I get my moments' he joked. 'The worst part is that we won't get to hang out much.'

'Why not? We'll get to see each other at school' I reminded.

'I know, but I won't get to kiss or cuddle you for two weeks' he said with a sad baby face. I smiled.

'Poor thing' I teased.

'That's why I came here. I need my last dose kisses before I'm imprisoned for two weeks.'

'Awww… Well, fine. Come here.'

Chad grinned and sat closer to me, only to be pulled into a deep kiss. If he was grounded, that meant we both would be going on a kissing break. And I hated that as much as he did.

I didn't even know why I became so kissy lately. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoyed it. But I wasn't as into it as Chad was. And all of the sudden I began feeling the constant need to be close to him. Preferably we'd be kissing, but hugging or simple cuddling worked as well. I kept trying to convince myself I had full control over my body, but I soon as I was alone with Chad, I surprised the both of us. The funny thing was I didn't even realize it until he left. I would just sit there thinking "did I really just do that?"

I'm sure there was a good explanation to why he was leaning on me with his tongue basically down my throat, but I can't think of one at the moment. I was too deep in my fantasy to analyze how we even ended up that carried away. And if we hadn't gotten interrupted, it could had gone in a lot of ways.

'Oh, are you kidding me?' I heard Destiny whine. Her voice pierced through my brain like a drill and, out of habit, I pushed Chad away from me. He wiped his lips, I fixed my shirt and we both looked at Destiny, who had an upset look on her face.

'You can't be serious, Taylor' she said angrily and glared at Chad. He gulped and moved away from me.

'I was just…' he began explaining, but she cut him off by rolling her eyes.

'Leaving? Good. Will you find the balcony yourself, or will I have to help you?' she asked bitterly. Chad glanced at me, clearly begging for help.

'Des, we-' I tried explaining, but with no success.

'Do not' she warned and pointed at me. 'I am not gonna get in trouble because you two can't wait to hit second base. And in broad daylight! Taylor, really?'

'It's not-'

'I know exactly what this is and I don't want to hear it' she stated and looked at Chad. 'And you? I heard you're grounded. And yet you're here? Wow, your mother would be impressed hearing her son mastered the art of being at two places at the same time.'

'How do you know I'm grounded?' Chad asked, sounding a lot less scared, but rather confused. Destiny crossed her arms.

'I know everything' she said angrily. Chad sighed.

'Can I at least kiss my girlfriend goodbye?' he asked confidently. Destiny bit her lips.

'You got a lot of nerve, kid. I am milliseconds away from whipping out a chainsaw and cutting that fucking tree down, so you better leave if you wanna get laid before you're 30' she demanded. Chad nodded his head.

'Fine. I'll see you guys later.'

He walked up to the balcony door, opened it and disappeared. Destiny closed the door behind him and looked at me.

'What is your problem?' I asked seriously. She shook her head.

'I don't have energy for any of this, Taylor. I need your help.'

As she said that, she walked out of my room. Needing an explanation for everything that happened, I had to follow her.

'What happened?' I wondered.

'I need you to get up to the attic and check something for me' she said a bit softer this time. She reached for a string, which was hanging from the ceiling in the hallway, and pulled it. The hatch opened and she carefully pulled the ladder down.

'Why do you need me up there?' I asked. She gave me an angry look.

'Because I look like a human beach ball and climbing ladders isn't really what the doctor prescribed' she answered. I sighed.

'I meant to ask what you needed from up there' I explained.

'I decided it would be good to set up some kind of nursery for the baby, but I can't afford anything, so I asked Dad for help and he said we'd have to check the house first for anything we could use. I got angry and said I didn't want my child to be eaten by bedbugs and other demons, but he told me to check the house first. So that's why I need your help' she explained really fast. I blinked twice.

'What am I looking for?'

'Just go up there and see if you find anything at all.'

I realized she really needed help, so no matter how disgusted of the attic I was, I had to do this for her. She held the ladder so that it didn't shake as I held on to it and I carefully climbed up. I closed my eyes for a second, sort of terrified of what I might find up there. None of us had been there for a very long time, so one could only imagine what was going on up there all those years.

I stuck my head above the floor and held my breath. I opened one eye and saw the attic was empty. It wasn't dark up there, because there were two pairs of windows on each side of the roof. There was a thick layer of dust on the ground and maybe a few spider webs here and there, but besides that there was nothing creepy about it. However, keeping in mind all the horror movies I've ever seen in my life, I was a bit terrified of what I might see behind me. I bit my lips and quickly turned my head, just to see a few cardboard boxes hanging out in the corner.

'And? Anything interesting?' Destiny wondered from below. I shook my head.

'Nothing. There are three boxes here, but it says "college" on each of them, so that might not be what we're looking for.'

'Definitely not' Des sighed. 'Dad said they had a box with books and stuff from when they were kids, so that must be it. Come on, get down from there.'

I did as she told me and I helped her close the hatch. She dusted off her hands and looked at me.

'Come on, we'll check the basement.'

'What are we looking for exactly?' I asked. Destiny shrugged.

'Dad said it's possible they kept some stuff from our childhood. He said they might've gotten rid of my stuff, such as a crib and strollers and whatever, but your stuff could still be in the house. To be honest, I'm only searching for a crib, preferably not infested with woodworms. He said yours was pretty neat and they didn't get rid of it; they only disassembled it and put it in a box. And we gotta find it.'

'Do you think it's still good, even 17 years later?' I asked.

'Probably. Wood is wood, if it doesn't get eaten or set on fire, it will be fine. Anyways, if we find it, then we'll know.'

Once we were in the basement, I stopped at the door. Destiny flipped the switch on the wall, making a weak light bulb turn on seconds later. Now, quite opposite to the attic, there was a lot of crap there. An old plastic Christmas tree, Tony's bike, car tires, on old table from the dining room, old chairs from the dining room, a broken armchair and a whole lot of other old, forgotten things. I glanced at the spider webs in every single corner and shuddered in disgust.

'Des, do we have to?' I whined. My sister gave me a tired look.

'I don't have time for your little breakdowns. Get your butt over here and help me find something useful.'

She started pushing things to the side, in search of something interesting. I rubbed my arms and hesitantly made my way to the huge shelf on the right. There were a few small cardboard boxes on it and each of them had a label; bills, documents, contracts, diplomas, pictures – 1997-2001… My eyes stopped at the boxes with our names on them.

'Hey, check it out' I told Destiny and she turned around. 'I wonder what's in them.'

'Well, the only way to see is to open them' she said and she grabbed hers and shook her head at the rest. 'Of course, Taylor gets two boxes while I get one.'

'Hey, it's not my fault they decided to keep my crap' I defended myself and pulled my box down as well. 'Tony has one, too.'

'We all knew _he's_ not the favorite…' she muttered and carefully kneeled next to her box. She picked up the lid and gasped. 'Woah, there's a lot of crap in here.'

I looked into mine and smiled, when among my things I saw a drawing I did back in preschool. Destiny gasped once more.

'Holy shit, my Backstreet Boys and Boys II Men cassettes' she said and held them up. 'I know I'm taking those upstairs.'

I laughed and pulled a Barbie doll out of mine. 'Look at this. Why do I remember this?'

'Oh, that's cause you used to take it everywhere for like four years straight' she said and took it from me. 'See the material on her? Mom made an improvised lab coat out of Dad's old T-shirt, because you insisted she was a rocket scientist or something. I think her name was Dr. Steinie.'

'Why?'

'Because you and Tony used to pretend she created his Hulk figurine, so he said her name should be Frankenstein, but you said that wasn't a girl's name, so we all stuck with Steinie.'

I giggled and took the doll from her. 'I do not remember that at all.'

'Wish I could say the same' Des mumbled. I looked at the doll.

'Didn't Tony try to behead her?' I asked, suddenly getting a short flashback. My sister nodded her head.

'Yeah, plenty of times. Whenever he wanted to terrorize you, he knew what to use. He once climbed on the shelf and scotch-taped her to the ceiling. You burst out crying and Dad had to rescue her. Or one time he held her hostage in the treehouse, because he wanted you do the dishes for him. Both times Dad had to come in and make sure Tony learned a lesson.'

'Ow' I said and we both giggled. 'Good times… I'm glad I don't remember much, otherwise I'd still be traumatized.'

'Hey, speaking of childhood, thank you for ruining mine' she told me. 'I remember you and Danforth being five years old and hanging out and you were so adorable. Now seeing you two make out is just creepy.'

'Weren't Chad and I like enemies?'

'No… At least not completely. Tony was the idiot who bribed his younger friend to torture you. But Chad was a cute kid, he wasn't rude or anything. I remember when he would sometimes come over to our place, because his mother had to work late. You'd let him play with your toys and you guys seemed like the best of buddies' Des said with a smile. 'I guess now he plays with your other toys.'

She gave me a smirk and I just shook my head. 'Whatever.'

'Oh, come on. I'm kidding' she laughed. 'It's obvious you guys are still in the hand holding phase.'

'How can you tell?' I wondered. Des shrugged.

'Trust me, if you had done anything, you'd be acting differently… But forget it, I was forbidden to talk to you about sex… Officially, at least. And given the situation I'm currently in, I might not be the best role model.'

'So… If we had… done… stuff…' I stuttered. 'You'd know?'

'Yup' Des said simply. 'I'd know, Mom would know… Dad wouldn't, because men don't get those signals right away.'

'Um, thanks for the heads up, I guess…' I said and looked into my box. Destiny gave me a suspicious look.

'Why? Are you guys planning something?' she asked seriously. My eyes widened.

'No!' I replied, which, judging by the look I received from her, must've sounded very odd. I shook my head. 'Nothing, I promise… We haven't even talked about it… I haven't even thought about-'

'Well, he has' Destiny said. 'Probably. So look out for that.'

'Why would he?' I asked and realized how naïve that sounded. Destiny shook her head.

'Oh Taylor, so smart, yet so innocent. Wake up, because you clearly haven't realized he's a teenage boy. And teenage boys are just the worst. Were you not listening in Biology class? Hormones are crazy' she warned and emphasized the word "crazy" with some ridiculous hand gesture. I would've laughed, but the topic made me really uncomfortable. I rubbed my arms.

'So what should I do?' I wondered. Des took a piece of paper out of her box and looked at it.

'Nothing. I'm just saying; dating isn't just holding hands and going to the movies, especially at your age.'

Her words sounded like some kind of ancient warning. They scared the little kid that was still inside of me at that time. I knew she was right, but I refused to accept it. I clearly remembered why I broke up with Derrick. Of course, I didn't think Chad would ever pressure me into doing something I wasn't ready for. But the idea of having that sort of talk with him was terrifying. I couldn't even deal with it myself, so how would I talk to him about something so intimate and sensitive?

'What if…' I spoke up after a moment. 'What if I don't want to?'

Destiny looked up at me. 'Then you will just have to tell him that. If he's the right guy for you, he'll understand. Sex talk is always the test of a relationship. Some couples pass it, some couples don't.'

I sat there and felt like a little kid in a scary cabin in the woods… or any other setting good enough for a horror movie. I just wished she hadn't said it the way she had. Her advice sounded like a dark prophecy that could soon influence my life. It sure opened my eyes, because I haven't really thought of Chad and I in that way. I realized our relationship was still very innocent and silly, but I didn't want to change that. I liked it that way. I felt like a kid who was ready to rebel against the world.

'Shit, I hope I didn't scare you' Destiny laughed. 'Tay, come on. It's just theory. Nobody knows your guys' relationship like the both of you. Seriously, do you think you two could break up over this?'

'No…' I said quietly. 'But it's an awkward thing, Des.'

'I know. But trust me, once you're ready, it won't be awkward. Your feelings towards this only show that you're clearly not mature enough for that and that's okay. No one has the right to make you feel bad because of that and you shouldn't depress over it either. It's natural, Tay.'

'How old were you when you… you know?' I asked. Des rubbed her chin.

'Well… Officially I was 18. But between you and I, I was 16. Don't tell Mom, though.'

'How did you know you were ready?'

'I just did… I don't know how to explain it. But it's that feeling you get when you look at that person… and you know you're ready. It's that simple.'

'Do you think Chad might be ready?' I asked quietly. She shrugged.

'Probably. It's not that much of a big deal for guys. For them it's just getting to feel something other than their hand.'

'Okay' I said and held my hand up. 'I'm done talking about this.'

My sister laughed. 'You guys are pretty close, aren't you?'

'Yeah, I guess… Quite, actually' I admitted.

'But on what level are you guys? Not physically, just in a relationship.'

'Um… well, yesterday he kinda… well, he didn't. But I guess he tried telling me that… Um…' I stuttered and took a deep breath. 'That he loved me.'

Destiny gasped. 'No way! Wait, how did he do that? Were you making out and he just mumbled it, or what?'

'No, we actually talked about him getting a job and I told him I didn't want him to do anything for me and that I liked him even if he didn't have a car and stuff… And then he started stuttering and I thought that was adorable…' I said and blushed. Destiny smiled.

'Aww, you guys!' she said and playfully slapped my arm. 'Now you're making me feel bad about kicking him out!'

I giggled. 'How did you know he was grounded?'

'I went to get something from the garage and I saw Ms. Rossi by her car. We talked for a moment and I asked if she knew if Chad would be taking you out, but she said she didn't think so, because he was grounded. And then I saw him in your room… What a sneaky little bastard.'

'He had to tell me something' I cleared up. Destiny gave me an "oh please" look.

'Yeah, and then his tongue accidentally ended up in your mouth?' she asked sarcastically. I shrugged.

'I don't know how that happened either.'

'You act innocent, but you are no angel' she said and smiled. 'Look at this.'

She pulled a picture out of her box and handed it to me. It was a picture of our father back in his college years and he was holding a toddler in his arms. I smiled.

'Oh my, that's you?' I gasped. Destiny nodded her head.

'Yeah. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth' she said and I laughed. 'Back when I was the only child and Mom and Dad spoiled me, and before you two came along and ruined it.'

I smiled and scrunched my nose. 'Sorry.'

'Best five years of my life' she admitted and put the picture back into her box. 'The highlight of my life, actually. From then on everything went downhill.'

'Does that mean you will stop on one child?' I wondered and looked through the rest of the stuff in my box. Destiny shrugged.

'I guess. I mean, I know how much it sucks to be the older sibling. I don't want my baby to feel the same way. It's tough on kids, you know?' she said and rubbed her round belly. 'On the other hand, I don't know how my life will be in five years. I guess all I can do is love my kids equally, no matter how many I have.'

'Aww, that's sweet' I smiled at her. She shook her head and put her tough face on.

'Now is not the time for planning the future, especially when I don't even know what will happen in a month.'

'What do you mean?' I asked. Her tone made me realize something was bothering her. She sighed.

'It's… it's… I just.. I just don't know, Tay' she said. 'One day everything is fine and then everything goes shit. I'm due in two months and for all I know, Jerome might bail the last second.'

'What, why? Why would he?' I asked. Destiny bit her lips.

'I don't know. We've been fighting again. I just don't think he realizes that we're gonna have a little human to take care of. We need to feed him, dress him and give him good conditions to grow up in. I tried telling Jerome that I won't be able to provide all that for a baby with my salary, but whenever I bring it up, he gets upset. He says that I pressure him into getting a job and that I'm being selfish, because I have no idea what he's going through and how it feels to be turned down wherever he goes.'

I furrowed my brows. 'Hey, he's the one being selfish. So far you've gone through all the struggle and he's been sitting on his butt, doing nothing.'

'I know. But I can't tell him that. He might get pissed at me and that's the last thing I need right now.'

'You should tell him what you think' I advised. Destiny shook her head.

'I can't. If I get into a serious argument with him, he'll get pissed and maybe even dump me.'

'So?'

'No matter how much I might hate him, I want my son to have a father.'

We were silent for a moment. For a second I did not even think about that aspect. I wondered why Destiny even bothered talking to that guy, because he was a the most self-absorbed person I've ever heard of. She wasn't stupid; as soon as someone dared to disrespect her, she broke up with them and made sure they never contacted her again. But this situation was way different. She was pregnant. She was about to have that man's child. She couldn't just dump him and move on. She was desperate to keep that toxic relationship going for the sake of her baby. I suddenly felt so damn sorry for her, I couldn't keep in it. I moved closer to her and gave her a gigantic hug which I realized she needed, when she hugged me back right away.

'It's gonna be okay' I told her. Destiny sighed.

'I hope so, Tay.'

We heard the front door shut and broke the hug.

'Hello?' Mom called from upstairs. Des wiped her eyes.

'Over here. We're in the basement.'

Our mother walked down the stairs and stopped in the middle of them, when she saw us kneeling on the ground. She took a look around and winced.

'Girls, what in the world are you doing here?' she wondered.

'I asked Dad for help with getting the nursery ready, so he sent me here to look for Taylor's old stuff we could use' Des explained. Mom crossed her arms.

'Did he really say that?' she asked, sounding very surprised and slightly upset. We nodded our heads and she sighed. 'That man has lost his mind. If he thinks my grandbaby will be sleeping in some old, moldy crib, then he is wrong. Come on, get out of here before you catch a virus or something.'

We both stood up, put our boxes back on the shelf and did as she told us. Mom closed the door behind us and shook her head.

'I'll need to have a serious talk with him' she assured.

'He said it was no big deal' Destiny shrugged.

'Well if he thinks it's no big deal, he might as well sleep down there himself. I will not let your baby near anything from down there, unless it's been sterilized' she promised and we followed her to the living room. Destiny sighed and sat on the couch.

'I just thought it was a good idea, since everything is so expensive. I can't afford much and I don't want you guys to-' she tried to explain, but Mom cut her off.

'I don't want to hear this. We are your parents and it's our responsibility to support you physically and financially. Just because your father is a miser, doesn't mean I am' she said and took a deep breath. 'As long as I have a say in this house, you will have that nursery done. I don't care what it takes; if we have to sell something, we will. I'm not going to let him skimp on the family.'

Destiny finally smiled. 'Thanks, Mom.'

'Don't worry, sweetheart' Mom said and rubbed her back. 'Everything will be okay. Now, get some rest and Tay will help me prepare some lunch… Unless you're busy.'

'Nope' I replied. 'I'm done with all my homework, so I could help you.'

'Great. I'll go change and we'll get started.'

Mom stroked Destiny's head and headed upstairs. I looked at my sister.

'I know, I know. I shouldn't worry' she mumbled and reached for a blanket. 'I wish it was as easy as it sounds.'

* * *

><p>'So I did the Math homework. And I think there might be some mistakes in the answers' Gaby told me. I unlocked my locker and searched for my English notebook.<p>

'What do you mean?' I asked. She opened the book and started looking through the pages.

'I mean that I got a different result…. See, right here' she said and pointed her finger at the text. 'Right here, it says 3.464. The answer I got was a square root of 17.'

'Maybe the answer is the square root' I suggested and finally pulled my notebook out. Gaby shook her head.

'Impossible. The square root of 17 is approximately 4.123, if you want to shorten it to thousandths. The answer in the book is 3.464, which is the closest to the square root of 12.'

'Okay, so what if you made a mistake?' I said. I looked through my notebook in search of a homework I was convinced I haven't done. I guess my mind was in a different place at the time.

'The thing is I didn't!' Gaby said excitedly. 'Or at least I don't think I did… I've tried all different ways to solve it and each time I got square root of 17 as the answer. I even thought I mixed up the minuses, but I didn't. The book is wrong.'

'That's awesome' I said and sighed in relief when I saw I actually had finished the homework on Friday. I guess the Friday Taylor was looking out for Monday Taylor. 'You should tell Mrs. Mills that.'

'I will… Especially because it could be that I was doing something wrong… You never know.'

'Come on, you? You're a math genius, you shouldn't have any problems' I assured. Gaby shrugged.

'Hey, you never know. This could be the day I've made the first mistake ever.'

We both laughed. A moment later, I felt arms around my waist.

'Why are you guys laughing?' a familiar voice asked from behind me just before hugging me. 'Did we miss something?'

I didn't even have to turn around to recognize the person. Plus, Gabriella's silly smile gave it away. To top it off, Troy and Scott were standing right next to her.

'Just a mathematical misunderstanding' Gaby cleared up and pecked Troy's cheek. I turned to Chad and smiled.

'Nothing too funny, really' I admitted. Chad shrugged.

'I think it's amazing you two can keep up the good mood, especially on a Monday morning' he said. Scot scoffed.

'Yeah, it's what we nerds do' he said jokingly and held his hands up. Gaby and I high-fived him which made Chad and Troy laugh. Scott snapped his finger. 'That's right, I totally forgot. Did you guys do the math homework? Did you check your results with the answers?'

'Yes' I told him and shut my locker. 'Gaby was just saying how she found a mistake in the answers.'

'I _think_ I found a mistake' she corrected. 'I could've easily made a mistake in the calculations and get the wrong result.'

'I got square root of 17' Scott said. Gaby gasped.

'Okay, then I was right. The both of us couldn't make a mistake! The book is wrong' she said excitedly. I smiled.

'Yes, two geniuses couldn't possibly be wrong' I teased. Scott grinned.

'You know it.'

While Troy, Gaby and Scott discussed Gaby's impressive intellect, I felt Chad hug me once again and nuzzle his face in my neck. I rested my head against his.

'Hey, everything okay?' I whispered.

'Yeah. I'm just using the only opportunity I'll have today to hug you' he explained and I giggled.

'Maybe it won't be that bad… We could do some hugging on our way back home today' I suggested. Chad lifted his head up.

'You know I have to come straight home after school… You're trying to get me in trouble, aren't you?' he asked with a smile. I smirked.

'I would never.'

Chad chuckled and gave me a kiss. A moment later I we heard Scott tap his fingers on my locker. I pulled away and looked at him.

'Get a room' he said and walked away. Chad shook his head.

'He's jealous, because he's got no one to make out with.'

'We should set him up with someone' Troy decided. Gaby looked up at him.

'We could suggest a date for him. A lot of our friends would be interested' she told him and looked at Chad and I. 'Hey guys, wanna hang out after school? We could think of a way to get Scott a date.'

'I can't' Chad said with a sigh. 'I'm grounded.'

'What? Why?'

Before Chad could even open his mouth to answer, the intercom speakers began screeching. Everyone in the corridor covered their ears, which also protected them from hearing profanities mumbled by those caught off guard. The sound was annoying enough to get one kid, probably a freshman, to bang his head against the locker once or twice. I can't say any of us were really surprised by that.

'_Attention students_' a female voice spoke from the speakers. '_I would like to apologize for the inconvenient sound a second earlier. The school board promises it will be fixed as soon as possible. Now, time for an announcement. The meeting for all candidates for class presidents is scheduled for today._'

Most people shrugged and continued on with what they were doing before they got temporarily deafened. I wasn't interested with the announcement either, so I put my backpack on and grabbed Chad's hand, ready to get to class. We said goodbye to Troy and Gaby and headed down the corridor.

'_We would like the following people to stop by room 607 by lunch period_' the lady continued talking. '_Katy Miller, Evelyn Mathews, Rachel Larson, Paige Davis…_'

'Woah' I said and looked at Chad. 'Who the hell is gonna vote for the Devil herself?'

'I don't know, she might bribe her little helpers, but I don't think that will get her anywhere' Chad admitted.

'… _Henry Robbins, Maya Simmons, Jordon Keen, Taylor McKessie…_'

I stopped in my tracks so suddenly that if Chad was walking any faster, I'd rip his arm off. I froze, wondering if what I just had heard wasn't something I imagined. But the look on Chad's face told me otherwise.

'Did they just…?' he asked and pointed at the speaker. I stood there and felt like someone had just spilled a bucket of water on me. I couldn't move. I tried to analyze everything that happened up to that point and wondered if it was even possible that they read my name. Chad gave me a surprised look.

'Tay, did you apply?'

I finally realized what could have happened. I squinted my eyes and turned around to send someone a death stare, but there was nobody by the lockers anymore. I clenched my fists.

'Not personally.'

Taylor M.


	35. Chapter 35

'Tay, just try to calm down' Chad begged from behind me. I knew he wanted the best for me, but to be quite honest, he wasn't helping.

I ignored him and ran through the empty corridor like an angry tornado. I finally found the room that was my destination and hit the door with my palm, making it swing wide open. I stormed inside and Chad followed.

I was angry and determined to get it out on someone. Specifically, the person who was the source of all this. I saw Gaby and Troy standing by one of the desks. They both gave me terrified looks.

'What the hell?' I asked Gaby seriously. That might had been a very vague question, but we all knew what it meant. She gulped and was about to answer, when Troy hopped in in front of her.

'Calm down, Taylor' he said. He sounded neutral, but my-angry-self saw that as a personal attack. I glared at him.

'You shouldn't be here' I reminded. 'You do not have access to this room.'

Troy lost a bit of his cool and stepped back. He bit his lips. 'Well, he shouldn't either' he said and pointed behind me, at Chad.

'Yeah, but I'm-' Chad tried explaining, but I cut him off.

'Get out' I demanded. 'Both of you.'

Troy froze and glanced at Gaby. She sighed.

'Go' she told him. He nodded his head, grabbed his backpack and both boys left. I waited for the door to close and took a deep breath.

'So, do I get an explanation?' I asked, trying to remain somewhat calm. Gaby looked up at my face.

'I was going to tell you, I swear-' she tried apologizing, but I held my hand up.

'Why didn't you tell me _beforehand_?' I questioned. She sighed.

'I don't know… I don't even know why I did that. It's just that you said you would do it and there was no time left, so I just signed you up before it was too late' she explained.

'But the thing is I _didn't_ want to do it!' I groaned in frustration. Gaby quirked an eyebrow.

'Wait, you didn't? Then why did you say you did?'

'Because I wanted you to back off' I said a little too fast and bit my tongue. 'You were pushing me to apply, so I just said I would do it to…'

'Get rid of me?' she asked, sounding a little hurt. I sighed and leaned against one of the desks.

'I wouldn't put it like that… I just… I just said it. What I couldn't predict was that you'd actually sign me up for this thing' I told her.

'Well, if you told me the truth, I wouldn't had…' she said and looked down. 'I'm sorry for thinking you were actually as excited for this as I was. If there's anything I can do to undo this, I'd-'

'No' I cut her off. I really wanted to say it wasn't her fault, but I couldn't. The anger was stopping me. I figured blaming this all on her would make it easier than admitting it was my fault.

'Are you sure?' she asked and looked at my face. 'I could just go and-'

'No. No, just… Don't. I'll just… I'll take care of it myself' I said and headed out of the room, leaving Gaby all alone. I closed the door and sighed, mentally scolding myself for being such a bitch.

I turned around and saw Troy and Chad standing there. I gave them both an angry look and headed down the corridor.

'See you later' Chad told Troy and followed me. 'Tay, wait.'

I continued walking, hoping he'd understand I wasn't in a mood for a chit chat. Unfortunately, he didn't.

'Wait up, Tay' he said and gently grabbed my elbow. I stopped and looked at him.

'Yes?' I asked. He gave me a funny look.

'Everything okay? How did it go?' he questioned. I shrugged.

'I don't wanna talk about it' I admitted and looked at my watch. 'Now excuse me, I have a meeting to get to.'

'What? Does that mean you're gonna run for class president?'

'I don't… I don't know, okay?' I said and started backing away from him. 'I just don't know. Can you just… leave me…?'

I didn't wait for his response; I just turned around and made my way towards room 607.

I don't remember what exactly I was thinking at that moment. Probably my brain was trying to come up with an escape plan, while totally ignoring my behavior towards Chad and Gaby. I wanted them to leave me alone and I achieved it. Until I had this sorted out, I couldn't be bothered with apologizing.

I saw the door to room 607 was opened, so I carefully sneaked around the corridor and stepped closer, making sure nobody from inside could see me. There was the principle there, some teachers and of course, the candidates. Now, from what I could make of it, there were four candidates for the junior class president: that Henry guy, Paige the Bitch, Maya and me. I couldn't tell if I were lucky or not, all I knew was I hated it.

I realized the meeting was just staring, so I figured out coming in would be nice. My plan was simple: I sit there, listen to everything they say and find out how I get out of it. Easy peasy… Or so it seemed.

I stepped inside and when no one noticed me, I quickly took a seat in the back, next to someone.

'Hey, Taylor' the person next to me said. I looked at them and got scared, discovering the person was Maya, Chad's ex-girlfriend.

'Hey' I said fast, which sounded very odd. I cleared my throat and smiled weakly. 'I mean hi.'

'Hi. I'm glad to see a familiar face' she said with a smile. I nodded my head and looked at my lap.

Now, Maya was a super nice girl. Her and I never had a problem or anything of that nature, yet I felt uncomfortable around her. We knew each other from around the school even before Chad and her started dating. I was friends with Chad, so when they broke up, I took his side, obviously. It's been a very long time, yet I never learned why she dumped him. And to be honest, I didn't want to know. It was none of my business. It had all been settled between them and since then they successfully avoided each other. However, as I sat next to her, I couldn't help wondering if she… well, disliked me. I don't know why I thought she would, but somehow it only seemed logical.

There were a lot of scenarios forming in my head. Maybe she thought Chad talked me into hating her. Chad never said a word about her, but I couldn't know what she was thinking. Or maybe she thought I didn't like her because of how she treated Chad? Or maybe she thought I saw her as some kind of competition? And we'd have to run for class president against each other, so eventually it'd get really awkward.

'What made you do this?' she wondered. I snapped out of my daydream and gave her a dull look. Since I wasn't saying anything, she decided to talk. 'I realized the previous class presidents weren't doing much, so I decided to run myself. I see there could be some changes made, so I figured I could make them, if nobody else wanted to.'

'Um, I…' I stuttered and tried coming up with a good story. 'Well, I thought… Changes, yeah… Same…'

She gave me a funny look. 'You okay?'

'Yeah' I replied and leaned back in my seat. 'I'm sorry, I'm just having a really weird day, that's all.'

'It's alright' she assured. 'We all get that.'

I answered with a smile and looked down. Okay, so there was no hate on the line here. I could feel it. You know when sometimes people are nice to you, but they aren't genuine? Well, I could tell she was. Even if there was some aversion there at one point, it was gone now. Nevertheless, I'd much rather avoid having to compete with her.

I glanced around the room and saw a bunch of kids standing in groups. I figured they divided themselves into freshmen, sophomores and so on. Paige was there as well. She was standing next to Henry. I didn't know much about him, except that he was on the debate team and a bit of a douche. For all we knew, Paige could've been trying to form some kind of alliance with him.

Suddenly, she caught me staring at her and squinted her eyes. She pushed Henry out of her way and walked up to our desk.

'Well, would you look at that?' she said and crossed her arms. 'Nerd Queen has arrived.'

I smiled bitterly. 'Hello, Paige.'

'Why do you always try to ruin everything I do?' she asked. I gave her a surprised look.

'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Don't play dumb' she said and leaned in, so that no one but us heard her. 'You just suddenly decided to step out of the Nerd Herd and run for class president?'

'And what, you just suddenly started feeling the need of civil service?' I asked sarcastically. I didn't come in there with an intention of overshadowing her, but I still wanted to stand up against her ridiculous allegations. She frowned.

'Listen, smart ass. I need all the extra credit I can get and I am not losing it to you' she warned. 'If I have to, I will take you down.'

She turned around and walked away. She took a seat in the first row and nervously tapped her fingers on the desk. Maya nudged me.

'That chick is crazy' she whispered. I sighed.

'You have no idea.'

A moment later the room went quiet, everyone took their seats and one of the teachers stepped to the middle. She started talking about how the elections would look. The first part were the campaigns. Each of us had to run their own campaign to get attention of the voters. Then there would be a first round, in which each class would vote. Two candidates, who receive the most votes, would be chosen for the official vote. I thought that would be easier for us, juniors, since there were only four of us. And then I realized I shouldn't really care. After all, I still wanted out of this. I didn't want anything to do with the elections or Paige thinking I joined only to ruin her life. It all had just started and I was already done.

'Once there are only two candidates left, a debate will be held, where they present their basic ideas and discuss it with the opponent and the rest of the students' she informed.

_Great, so this also requires public speaking? All of you can count me out._

I glanced over at the freshmen and noticed they were actually taking notes.

_Dorks._

And then I felt guilty. Where did my enthusiasm go? As much as I wanted to think I really didn't give a damn about any of this, I couldn't. As the teacher explained everything, I understood it wasn't a big deal. Anyone could do it. I looked back at the freshmen and realized I used to be just like that. I mean yeah, I was on the side and didn't talk much, but I applied for a lot of things in school. Maybe running for class president was big, but it was only one step ahead of library duty. And how hard could it be to organize a campaign? All you have to do is make some posters, figure out a program and eventually, if everything goes right, participate in a debate. Maybe my idea of the election was just a ridiculous hyperbole?

'Do we have any more questions?' the principle asked. 'No? Alright, then we'll see each other in three weeks.'

Everyone got up and so did I. I grabbed my backpack and headed out of the classroom slowly. I was undergoing an internal turmoil, so I didn't realize Maya was walking right next to me.

'So, did you come up with any ideas yet?' she asked. I stopped walking and looked at her.

'Huh?'

'Um… Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to spy or anything' she quickly cleared up. 'I just figured, since Paige sort of talked to that Henry guy… I thought it would be a good idea to create… some sort of a pact, I guess.'

I kept staring at her, still not quite sure what she meant. I think she got used to it by now, because she just continued talking.

'I believe we're not here for the credit, unlike Paige… So I thought we could sort of work together for the ideals, you know? We don't have to be one team, but in case one of us does make it to the second round, I'm sure we could use the other one's support.'

'You mean like a coalition?' I asked finally. She nodded her head.

'Yeah, something like that' she said with a smile. I bit my lips and looked down for a moment. Was I seriously going to run for this?

'Um… Can I… Can I get back to you?' I asked and nervously rubbed my arm. 'I still need to figure something out…'

'Sure' she said. 'I'll see you around.'

She waved at me and walked away, leaving me all alone in front of room 607. I looked back inside and saw the teachers were still there, while the students had left already. It was my chance. I could just go up and say I made a mistake and didn't actually want to run for anything. I could make up a story believable enough, only so they let me walk. But something was stopping me. It was this feeling in my gut… I didn't know whether it was guilt or fear of humiliation, but it was strong enough to drive me away from that room. I decided to head home and sleep on this decision.

There was nobody at home. Dad was still at school, Mom had a day shift and Destiny probably had a session. I wasn't in the mood to eat anything; I just climbed up the stairs, went to my room and fell face first on the bed. That's when the reality of the whole day hit me – I was a bitch to Gaby, I brushed Chad off in the worst way possible and I probably got myself into some deep crap it'd be really hard getting out of.

I rolled onto my back and looked at the ceiling. I felt the need to talk to someone, but I realized both of my "emergency contacts" were at the basketball practice. Besides, I was too angry to apologize to Gaby. And what would I say? "Sorry for being so mean, but you got me into some real shit and I don't know what to do?" And apologizing over the phone was just immature. Also, I was sure she wouldn't want to talk to me at all. We both needed some time to cool off.

I closed my eyes and lay there for about an hour, just trying to find a happy place so I could escape all the worries. I don't know if I was sleeping or not, but it helped me relax a little. Once I relaxed enough, I got off the bed, picked up my laptop and started researching stuff for an essay due in three weeks. Hey, I needed any distraction I could get.

At around 5pm I heard a knock on the door and looked up from my screen. I sighed.

'Come in' I said quietly. The door opened and my father peeked his head inside.

'Hey, Tay' he greeted. 'I just came to check if you were home. I didn't see you on practice today.'

'Yeah, I went home straight after class…' I told him and looked down. He stood there for a moment, probably wondering what to do. I knew he wasn't one to ask about things, since he was just like me – stayed out of people's business. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he usually avoided having to give advice or have someone cry in his arms. He wasn't much of an affectionate person, because those sort of things simply made him feel uncomfortable.

'Everything alright, though?' he asked finally. I nodded my head.

'Yeah' I lied. My dad wasn't fond of hearing confessions and I wasn't fond of confessing.

'Alright' he mumbled and was about to head out, when he stopped. I looked at him and he stepped back into the room.

He stared at the floor as if he was looking for the right words. Again, he was really bad at those sort of situations. He finally cleared his throat.

'You know, I wanted to ask you something' he told me and scratched the back of his head. 'Um, today at school… There was this announcement… Something to do with elections and whatnot… I just wanted to know… Did I really hear your name?'

I nodded my head with a sigh. 'Yes.'

'How come you didn't say you were running for class president?' he wondered. I shrugged.

'Because I, myself, had no idea' I explained. Dad gave me a funny look.

'Excuse me?'

I sighed and leaned back on the headboard of my bed. 'It's a long story, Dad…'

'You wanna talk about it?' he asked simply. I stared at him for a moment.

'Do you want to hear about it…?' I asked unsurely. He shrugged.

'Yeah. I mean, you're my kid. That's what I'm here for' he said with a smile. I bit my lips.

'It's really stupid and weird and… I just don't know' I whined and closed my laptop. He grabbed my chair, moved it closer to the bed and sat on it.

'Well, if it bothers you, maybe we can figure something out' he offered. Now, I was really surprised by his attitude. What made him want to hear me out? Maybe I looked really miserable? Or maybe he genuinely cared about it? Either way, it was a good opportunity to vent about it instead of bothering someone who wouldn't want to hear it.

'Well, for starters, I didn't sign up for the whole class president thing' I said. Dad raised his eyebrows.

'What do you mean?'

'Around two weeks ago, Gaby got this insane idea that I should run for class president. Her and I had some ideas of what could be changed around the school, since the previous class presidents didn't do much and got a lot of credit for it anyways. The guys suggested we should apply and somehow everyone ended up thinking I was a perfect candidate, since Gabriella is sort of socially awkward and less charismatic or whatever.'

'Alright. And?'

'And then she kept bugging me about applying, saying she would help me around the campaign and whatever else came up and I was so tired of her pushing me, that I promised I'd consider it and probably would apply. And then I just completely forgot about it. And then today I get to school just to hear I'm on the list of candidates' I explained really fast. I paused to take a breath and my father crossed his arms.

'Wait, so I'm guessing Gabriella was the one who got you on that list' he finished for me. I nodded my head.

'Yeah. Today I confronted her about this. I was angry, because I didn't actually want to run for anything and she reminded I affirmed I would. And I walked out on her, so I guess we're in a fight' I told him.

'Is that why you're upset?' he asked.

'No, that's not it…' I said with a sigh. 'Since the first meeting for the candidates was today and my name was already on that list, I couldn't just ditch it like an idiot would. I figured I'd go just to see what the fuss was all about and how I could get out of it. And I go there and what do I see? That two of Chad's ex-girlfriends are running as well! And one of them being Paige The Bitch!'

'Paige The Bitch?' Dad asked with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes.

'Don't laugh, this is serious' I begged. 'She hates me, Dad. She always did. She's the one who nicknamed me the Nerd Queen.'

'Oh, that one. She's still on that? That was like seven years ago' he reminded.

'I know, but she still hates me' I told him. 'And now that I'm dating Chad, she hates me even more. She could start spreading rumors about me. Or do something to publically embarrass me! She's evil. She also thinks I joined the elections only to win with her once again.'

'Okay, so she's evil. What about the other one?'

'She's alright' I admitted. 'She's nice to me and I think there's no hatred there, but there's this awkward tension between us. I'd much rather avoid her, not compete against her. Obviously everyone will think it's all about Chad.'

'So I understand you really don't want to have anything to do with the elections?' he asked.

'No. Even if I decided to run, that would bring me even more problems. For example, I don't want all the attention that comes with it. I enjoy being this shade that everyone sees occasionally, but pays no attention to. That's where I feel the most comfortable. Chad and I've been official for like a week now and people just stopped giving me weird looks. I don't want to be in the center of attention again, Dad.'

'I understand, sweetie. Can't you then just resign from running for class president?' he suggested. I shrugged.

'I don't know what I would say.'

'Just say you changed your mind.'

'And what? Look like an irresponsible, mood-swinging kid? My teachers know I always act mature, so that would just seem odd. And I'd lose that respect.'

'So just tell the truth then. Explain that it wasn't you who signed you up' he told me.

'That would just be ridiculous, Dad. Can you imagine hearing that? And if they asked who did it? If I told them it was Gaby, she'd turn out looking like an idiot. I'm angry at her, but I don't want that' I complained. Dad gave me an uneasy look.

'So what do you plan to do?' he wondered.

'I'll need to find a good way to get out of it' I admitted. 'I couldn't run if something happened… I could break my leg or something.'

Dad laughed. 'Come on now, Tay. Be serious. I'm sure you'll come up with a good way out of this.'

'I hope so…' I said with a quiet sigh. Dad got up from the chair.

'I don't have any other ideas, baby' he said. 'Try asking Destiny or your mother. I'm not good with advice, to be quite honest.'

'It's okay' I assured and smiled at him. 'Thanks for listening to me.'

'No problem. Any time, Baby Girl.'

* * *

><p>I was lying on the bed with my eyes glued to the ceiling. My mind was a complete mess. I told myself I had to find a way out of that stupid situation, but in reality I kept thinking of everything else. I had no idea what to do, so my brain decided that the best way to deal with problems was to avoid them.<p>

Chad didn't call or text me. I wasn't disappointed. Actually, I was glad he left me to deal with everything on my own. After all, that's what I requested. However, having someone there to comfort me would be nice. I kept convincing myself I couldn't call him, only because he was grounded and would get in trouble for leaving his house. I also knew that if I called him up, he wouldn't think twice before climbing onto my balcony.

I heard a knock on the door. A second later my father stepped inside.

'Hey, how you doin'?' he wondered. I shrugged and looked at him.

'Lame, I guess' I answered. He nodded his head.

'Listen, I've been thinking on a solution to your problem' he said and walked up to my bed. 'I'm guessing you already made the decision of quitting, so I figured out how exactly you could do it.'

I sat up and raised my eyebrows. 'How?'

'Well, you could tell the truth. But not the complete truth' he said. I made some place on the bed and he sat next to me. 'You could tell someone put your name on the list and if they asked who it was, you could just say it was a person who wasn't exactly too fond of you. And if any of the teachers ask me about it, I could tell them that I heard you had some problems with a certain person, but I wouldn't go into detail about it.'

'So you say we should lie?' I asked. Dad shrugged.

'You should never lie, Tay' he reminded quickly. 'But sometimes the situation requires it. I know running for class president would make you feel uncomfortable, so I'd do anything to help you get out of it.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. If there's no other way, then yeah' he told me. I bit my lips and looked down. I finally got an idea.

'We wouldn't have to lie to anyone, you know' I said. 'I could remain as a candidate… but I wouldn't do anything about it. Like no campaign, no preparation, no participation. I would just stick to the side and make sure nobody voted for me.'

'And what? You'd end up being a loser, who applied and then completely ignored it. You said you cared what your teachers think, so why would that be a good idea?' he asked seriously. I realized what a dumb plan that was and sighed.

'What am I supposed to do then?' I questioned. 'I'd do anything that doesn't require lying or sneaky plans.'

Dad crossed his arms and looked at his feet. 'Well, there's one thing you could do.'

'Yeah?'

'Since you are already a candidate, you might as well give it a try' he suggested and looked at me. I frowned.

'No…' I whined. He smiled and nodded his head.

'Yeah. And if you need any help, I happen to know the best class president that's ever walked this planet.'

'I'm not gonna ask Mom for advice on this, Dad' I stated seriously. 'She'll get all excited and she'll make me start a campaign and she'll force me to do everything I can to win.'

'And maybe you will win.'

'But I don't want to!' I groaned and leaned my head on his shoulder. He sighed.

'I know it all sounds scary now, baby' he said calmly. 'But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe you were given the chance to face your fears? This could be the breaking point in your life – you could become more confident.'

'I don't know…' I said doubtfully. He was silent for a moment.

'I know how you feel' he told me. 'I had to overcome my fears as well. You know, this one time I really liked this one girl…'

'Oh, no' I cut him off and sat up. 'Here we go again.'

'Did I ever tell you the story?' he asked with a chuckle. I shook my head.

'No. But Mom did. I know all about it; you were shy, you went to on a couple of dates and bam – there's Destiny.'

Dad laughed. 'Aw, come on. You know you mom. She sugarcoats everything, I'll tell you the facts' he promised. I rolled my eyes and rested my head on the pillow.

'Fine' I gave up. 'But as soon as I see no relation to my problem, I'm walking out of here.'

'Fine' he agreed. He then cleared his throat and looked at the wall across from the bed. 'What you mother doesn't know is just how terrified I was to ask her out on a date. And I couldn't tell anyone, because it'd be hilarious for my buddies to hear was secretly crushing on a girl that was a year younger than us. After all, all the junior girls were chasing after the seniors. But there was something about her… like… when I looked at her, I just knew she was amazing. She was one of the best students in the school and I heard her during one of the debates that were organized when she ran for class president. I was blown away by how passionate she was about her beliefs. I wouldn't had fallen so bad, if we didn't keep running into each other constantly. The first time I got to speak to her was when she came into my history class and asked the teacher if she could have the projector. Those things were heavy back in the day, so when I saw her struggle with it, I ran up and helped her. I was excused from the class so that I could help her carry it to the other room, but as soon as we were out, she smacked my arm for pulling the projector out of her hands.'

I laughed. 'No way!'

'I'm serious. Then I didn't know what the hell was happening, she whisper-yelled at me, saying she could do it on her own and didn't need anyone's mercy, took the heavy damn thing from me and left. I didn't even get to ask what her deal was; she didn't give me the chance. The second time I actually got to open my mouth to her was when I was the only one at the library. That was the sort of detention I got from my English teacher. She got mad I refused to read the books, so she sent my butt to the library, thinking being on my own would get me to read. I was at the table minding my own business, when your mother stepped inside. She had a pile of books in her arms and clearly she was having trouble with them. She looked around and saw me. All I did was smile and say something like "I'd help, but I know better" or something and I received the most innocent death stare ever. She was too busy mentally cursing me out, she lost balance and her and the books fell onto the floor.'

'What did you do?'

'What could I do? I got scared she got hurt, so I rushed over to help her. She sat there, surrounded by the heavy dictionaries, examining her finger. I kneeled next to her to get a better look at it, but she once again hissed at me for getting too close when "she had it all under control". I picked her and the books up from the floor and walked her to the nurse. A broken finger.'

I smiled. 'How in the world did you end up being together?'

'I have no idea' Dad admitted with a chuckle. 'As I said, we kept running into each other constantly, so I finally got the courage to ask her out. I caught up with her when she was walking out of the school and I just asked her. Of course, she said no. She said something about her father not approving of her dating seniors and that we didn't know each other too well and everything at once. Somehow we ended up getting milkshakes and talking about life. That was our first date.'

'Awww… That's too cute' I admitted. 'How come Mom never tells us this?'

'Because she doesn't want you to know what a goofball she was' he explained. 'And probably because all those good memories bring out the bad ones. You know, when you mother found out she was pregnant, neither of us was exactly suited for being a parent. Her parents forbid her from seeing me and I couldn't do much about it. I used to live with my uncle and when I told him what I did, he was angry at first. He had a wife and four kids of his own. They were awesome enough to take me in when my mother passed away, but I knew I was just a burden for them. They lived in a tiny house and I had to share a room with their two oldest sons. There was no way in hell they could help me out when it came to being a father.'

'What did you do?' I asked curiously. I've never heard the story from Dad's point of view; Destiny managed to trick Mom into telling us how they met, but she didn't go into a much detail.

'One evening he sat my ass down and told me that if I wanted to see my baby, I had to get a job and prove to your mother and her father I could be responsible. So as soon as I graduated, I started working three jobs. Part time at my uncle's car service, part time as a pizza delivery guy and a night shift as a valet at a local club. Somehow I managed to make it all work out.'

He fell silent for a moment. I couldn't even imagine what a struggle that must've been for him. I couldn't picture what it'd be like to have my life turned upside down. He had to change all his plans for his future and nothing would ever be the same.

'Meanwhile, your mom was still in school' he continued. 'I knew she had plans of being a doctor, so I knew she wouldn't quit. We didn't have internet back then, so there was no way to stay in touch without regularly seeing people. Three weeks after her school year started, I decided to see her, since I haven't seen her in almost two months, since her parents still weren't too fond of me. Anyway, I waited for her to walk out of the school and when I finally saw her, I understood what really happened. Seeing her pregnant made me realize how serious it was.'

'What did she say when she saw you?' I asked. Dad smiled lightly.

'She seemed upset… She thought I gave up and abandoned her. I explained what I've been doing all summer and it must've touched her, because she smiled so beautifully… We dated, but I wouldn't have said I was actually in love… But when I saw her that day, I just knew I never wanted to let her go…'

'Awwwww, Dad!' I teased playfully. He cleared his throat and got serious.

'Whatever, that's not the point. Later I actually managed to prove to her father I was ready to do anything I could to take care of his daughter and the baby. Then your sister was born, but you mother didn't want to quit school, so her parents agreed to watch over Destiny from time to time. But we did everything on our own. I rented my own, small apartment and saved up for a tux, so I could take your mom to her prom. I couldn't go to mine, since my girlfriend couldn't join me or obvious reasons, but I promised I would take her to hers and I did' he said and smiled proudly. 'And when she graduated and enrolled into college, they both moved in with me. Your grandparents agreed to help financially, but your strict grandpa stressed the money was for Destiny's needs only. And we both liked that idea, because we didn't feel like we owed them anything. We saved up enough money for me to go to college and get a degree as well'

'Okay, now skip to the part where I come in' I said and he laughed.

'Um, well when Tony was born, we were already married and living in a slightly bigger apartment. And when you popped out, I was already a full-blown dad. I had a steady job, I had experience with diapers and crying infants. Your mom got her degree just before you were born, so she stayed at home until it was alright for her to leave you with me. It was a crazy house. I mean, Des was going to school, so we'd take turns looking after you and Tony. But we made it work. And somehow it's still working until today.'

I smiled and looked at him. 'I appreciate you telling me all this… But what does this have to do with my dilemma?'

'Well, I think I got a little carried away' he admitted. 'But the general idea was to show you we're not a family of quitters. And if you think everything is against you, you can still overcome it.'

'So you're saying I should run for class president?' I asked suspiciously.

'Not exactly… All I'm saying is you should give it a thought; don't get discouraged right away.'

'Okay, I'll consider it' I promised. Dad smiled and put his arm around me.

'That's my girl.'

I was rewarded with a kiss on the forehead, when the door to my room opened. We both looked at it and saw Destiny standing there.

'What are you doing here?' she asked Dad. 'I've been looking for you everywhere.'

'And you found me' he said. 'What's up?'

'I just wanted to say I need your car tomorrow' she said and walked up to the bed. 'I won't be able to get a ride home. My friend got something to take care of.'

'And I'm supposed to walk to work?' he asked sounding very surprised. Destiny crossed her arms.

'Out of the two of us, who do you think has swollen ankles and _is carrying an infant inside their body_?' she asked sarcastically. Dad smiled.

'Oh, I'm just kidding' he assured. Des rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed.

'Don't do that, you freak me out' she said and looked at me. 'Why is Dad here? What happened to you?'

'Nothing' I told her. 'We just talked about stuff.'

She gave us both a very suspicious look. I laughed.

'No, really' I said and sat on the side, so we all formed a conversational triangle. 'Dad was just telling me about how he and Mom met and how they lived once you were born.'

Destiny made a gagging sound and Dad chuckled.

'You don't appreciate our struggle, do you?' he asked jokingly. She shook her head.

'I do. But hearing about it makes me sick. Besides, I remember more than Tony or Taylor, so I know how hard it used to get. It wasn't always so lovely.'

'It wasn't' Dad admitted. 'But at the end of the day, it was all okay.'

'Yeah… Kinda hard to believe we're all here right now' she said melancholically. 'You know, in this large house, healthy, not hungry, having a car, I'm old enough to be a mother, Taylor is old enough to be making out with her boyfriend when you aren't watching.'

'Hey!' I scolded and she laughed. Dad shook his head.

'I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear what you just said' he mumbled. Destiny smiled at him.

'It's true. We've been through a lot…' she said and her eyes widened. 'That's right! Isn't your guys' anniversary in two weeks?'

'Yeah' Dad admitted. I gasped.

'Really?' I asked and realized it was September, October was in about two weeks. 'Hey, which one is it already?'

'Hm, let's see… How old are you?' he asked Destiny and she gave him an annoyed look. He laughed. 'We've been married for 20 years, but we've been together for 25.'

'You're so old' Des pointed out. Dad just stuck his tongue out at her.

'Are you guys going anywhere?' I wondered. My father gave me a surprised look.

'Why?' he asked. 'You two trying to get rid of us?'

'Seriously, Dad' Des said and poked his shoulder. 'Do you have any plans?'

'We didn't talk about it yet' he admitted. This time I poked his shoulder.

'You can't talk about it!' I advised. 'You have to surprise Mom.'

'Exactly' Destiny agreed. 'Do you at least know what you'd like to do?'

'Well, I've been thinking of…' he said and scratched his chin. 'Taking her out to dinner?'

'That's it?' Destiny asked in shock. 'That woman has been putting up with all of us for 20 years and you want to take her _to dinner_?'

'Then do you have any other ideas?' he questioned. 'I do want to do something special for her, but I don't know what it could be.'

'How about a weekend getaway?' she suggested. Dad raised an eyebrow.

'You are trying to get rid of us, aren't you?'

'I think that's a good idea' I said. 'You will get a chance to spend some time together and won't have to worry about us. We'll take care of each other.'

'Exactly' Des told him. 'I'll keep an eye on Taylor and she'll keep an eye on me. Look, the anniversary is on Thursday, right? You'll take Mom out to dinner and tell her that you planned something for the weekend.'

'That could work… But where would I take her?' Dad asked. He wasn't much of a romantic himself, but Mom loved surprises and such. It was our duty to help him plan the perfect anniversary.

'We still have two weeks, we'll figure something out' Des promised. 'You have to start thinking of a gift for her.'

'I have no ideas for that either…' Dad admitted and scratched the back of his head. 'I was thinking of some jewelry, but I don't know if that's…'

'Get something engraved' I suggested. Destiny nodded her head.

'Yeah, like a bracelet or something. You could engrave the date you guys got married, or something that would mark your 20th anniversary' she tried to convince. Dad winced.

'Isn't that a little… cheesy?' he asked unsurely.

'Mom likes cheesy' I said.

'Yeah, the cheesier, the better' Des agreed.

We fell silent when we heard footsteps coming from the stairs. We all looked at the door and a moment later Mom walked into my room.

'Oh, here you all are' she said. 'Everything alright?'

'Yes' Dad said fast. Destiny and I exchanged weird looks. Mom smiled and crossed her arms.

'You sure?' she asked. Des nodded her head.

'Yup, perfectly fine.'

'The girls and I were just talking' Dad said, trying to cover up his nervousness with a smile. My sister and I giggled. That's when Mom knew something was up. She walked up to the bed and looked at us.

'What were you guys talking about?' she wondered.

'Stuff' I said, holding back laughter. Destiny basically rolling on the bed did not make it any easier. Mom nodded her head.

'Alright' she said and looked at Dad. 'I was going to tell you this in the morning, but I forgot. The garbage disposal is jammed again. I can't find the toolbox.'

'Oh, don't worry, honey' Dad said and quickly hopped off the bed. 'I'll take care of it. You just sit down and relax. I bet you had a hard day at work.'

He stepped closer to Mom, kissed her and gave her a quick hug before leaving the room. Mom watched him leave and turned to us once he was gone. She had a disturbed look on her face.

'Um… Who was that man and what did he do with my husband?' she asked and pointed at the door. Destiny and I laughed.

'He's just trying really hard' she said. Mom nodded her head.

'Let me guess, he's going to act this way for the next two weeks?' she asked and we both affirmed it. She sighed. 'Here we go again.'

'Hey, at least he remembers about it' I pointed out.

'You're right' she agreed. 'Besides, I could use some active help around here. Even if it's only for two weeks.'

'Too bad I'm too pregnant to do any hard work. Otherwise, I'd help you' Destiny said and got off my bed. Mom smiled.

'I'm sure you would' she said jokingly. Destiny gasped.

'Um, excuse me? I'd love to switch places, because this kind of sucks' she said, pointing at her belly. Mom waved her hand at her.

'Okay, okay' she said and started smoothing out the blanket on my bed, which got all messed up when Dad and Destiny joined me. 'In my case three times is enough.'

'This is unbearable' Destiny admitted. 'Anyone who does this more than once should be declared the Queen of the World.'

'The power over everyone in this household is enough for me' Mom said.

'Oh, the Great Supreme Leader of the McKessie Household, may I be excused to go to my room and cry myself to sleep?' Des asked sarcastically. Mom laughed.

'Sure. And if you wanna talk about it, the Supreme Leader will surely make some time in her busy schedule to hear you out.'

Destiny smiled and walked out of my room. Mom looked at me.

'Were you doing your homework?' she asked. I looked at my laptop, that was still resting on the edge of my bed and shrugged.

'Not really, just doing some research' I said and opened it. Mom walked around my bed and started going through the clothes that were hanging on the backrest of my chair.

'On what?' she wondered.

'On how globalization influences today's world' I explained. She turned to me.

'That's a very broad topic' she noticed. I sighed and nodded my head.

'I need to pick five basic aspects.'

'Well, there's economic advantages and disadvantages, politics, cultural changes…' she counted out as she folded my pants and placed them on a shelf. 'Do you have to write it for tomorrow?'

'No, it's not due in another three weeks.'

'Alright then. I could help you with it, if you needed it' she offered. I shook my head.

'No need, I think I'll wrap my head around it when I get some extra time…' I said and paused for a second. I remembered what Dad told me and looked at my mother. 'Although, I could use your help with something.'

She closed my closet, walked back to the bed and sat at the edge of it.

'Yes?'

I sighed and stared down at my feet. This was my chance to get the final opinion. I hated to admit it, but Mom was the right person to talk to about this. I also predicted what she could say, but I knew she would understand my point of view and help me do the right thing.

'I have a decision to make.'

Taylor M.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was kind of long and didn't include much Chaylor, but it's important for the story :) I know I haven't been on here in ages and I have a lot of reasons behind that, but I'm pretty sure you are all tired of hearing me constantly come up with excuses, so there won't be any, I promise! In 2015 (Happy New Year by the way!) I'm planning to change things in my life, since I'm graduating high school soon and that obviously means a lot of changes. I also promised myself I'll write more, because I figured out it'd be a good way to distract myself from all the stress this year will bring into my life. I just hope you don't think I quit, because I haven't. This story will go on for a long while and I hope all of you will stick around for it :)<strong>

**Okay, that's it from me. Once again, I'm alive and doing okay I guess, so starting next week, I'm gonna be active on here. I promise no more 6 month long breaks between chapters! I'll do everything I can to avoid those!**

**Thanks for reading, guys! :)**

**~TheCreativePenguinLover **


	36. Chapter 36

**Here's the next chapter. A lot has happened over the few last months, but whatever I say won't be enough to make up for me neglecting this story and you guys. And I'm sorry. I guess all I want to tell you is that I graduated high school at the end of April and got past my exams in May. I have like 4 months of vacation ahead of me, so I'll try my best to write as much as I can.**

**Thanks for sticking around and actually taking your time to read my story. And thanks so much for the support *cyber hugs you all***

**~TheCreativePenguinLover**

* * *

><p>After a basically sleepless night, I barely dragged myself out of bed. I went to sleep at around 12am, then stayed awake until 2, then passed out for approximately three hours. But I had an exhausting dream about the possible horror of the next day, so once I woke up at about 6am, I decided not to go back to sleep. Instead, I made myself a nutritious breakfast, which I usually had no time for in the mornings and got ready for school.<p>

I didn't want to make a lot of noise, so I sat in my room and slowly thought everything over. Before going to sleep the previous evening, I came up with a plan for my entire Tuesday. When I think about it, that's probably where those catastrophic dream scenarios came from. I was just scared something would go wrong. I don't know why, but I just wasn't feeling too confident that day. Either way, I told myself what had to be done had to be done and I couldn't avoid it.

Eventually, my family woke up and began running around the house, getting ready for the day. I grabbed my backpack and walked downstairs. I decided I'd walk to school with my father, since I could use someone's company before a stressful experience that awaited me.

Tuesdays were his off days, but he told Mom he had to take care of some paperwork. In reality, he used that excuse only to get out of the house and wander around the town. He was still thinking about the perfect anniversary gift for her. He decided to walk to school with me, but we'd eventually split up half way.

While we walked, we talked a bit about everything possible. He asked about my grades, because he wasn't exactly keeping track with them. You know, he was used to me getting straight A's all the time, so he didn't think it was necessary to check up on me. Besides, Mom was the one in charge of that, while Dad was the one who reprimanded us once we've done something wrong. I told him I finally asked her for advice and it actually helped me a lot, so the rest of our trip I tried to ignore him while he continuously repeated "I told you so".

When Dad wished me a good day and crossed the street to head in the opposite direction, I sighed. I felt the nervousness coming back. The only thing that made it easier was my plan. I knew my first stop would be a comforting one.

When I was already in the school yard, I saw Chad standing with his friends by the table tennis tables. I sucked in a deep breath and slowly walked up to them. He was facing them, therefore I could only see his back. His buddies didn't seem to notice me, but I still avoided any kind of possible eye contact. When I reached Chad, I tapped his shoulder. He turned to me and smiled.

'Hey, Tay' he greeted. I smiled weakly.

'Hey. Got a minute? Can I talk to you?' I asked. He nodded his head.

'Yeah, sure' he said and looked at his teammates. 'See ya later.'

They said their goodbyes, I turned around and started walking away to find a spot that wasn't crowded. I found it at a flowerbed ledge, across the yard. I headed there and Chad followed.

'What's up?' he asked once we got there. I sighed.

'I wanted to apologize for yesterday' I explained. 'I brushed you off and I shouldn't had. At least not like that. I was just a bit angry and confused, but I shouldn't had treated you that way.'

Chad stared at me for a moment before pulling me into a hug. I relaxed in his arms and hugged my face to his chest.

'It's okay' he assured. 'So, I take it as the talk with Gaby didn't go too well?'

I pulled away from him and shook my head. I crossed my arms and looked down.

'I told her I couldn't believe she did that, so she brought up the fact I said I'd run for class president. I said, even though I didn't mean it, that I only promised it to make her stop nagging me' I explained. 'I think she got upset and I can't blame her for it. I lied to her and then accused her of purposely getting me in trouble, even though it's my fault. And then I just walked out on her.'

Chad didn't say anything. We both knew that no matter what he said, he couldn't deny I did the wrong thing. All he could do is comfort me and help me get through this.

'I just feel like the biggest idiot' I admitted. Chad put his arm around me.

'Don't worry, I'm sure you two will talk it out and make up' he said. I sighed.

'I hope so.'

After he let me go, we both sat down on the ledge. He looked at me.

'How was the meeting?' he wondered. I shrugged.

'Alright, I guess… Everything was fine, except Paige. She's convinced I joined only to compete against her… I think it's about us dating, but I didn't want to get into anything with her, so I didn't ask.'

'Seriously?' he asked and shook his head. 'Man, that was like two years ago. Besides, you had nothing to do with our breakup. She's still on that?'

'Seems like it.'

'Well, I could talk to her' he suggested. 'I could tell her to back off.'

'No, don't' I told him. 'That would only make it worse. I bet people will associate the competition between us with you anyway, so that wouldn't help it. Plus, Maya's there too, so if you got involved, I'd be even more awkward.'

'Oh right, she's there too…' he remembered with a slight wince. 'How is she? You two okay?'

'She's really nice and actually she suggested we form an alliance against Paige and the Henry guy, but… It's still awkward, Chad. I know she doesn't hold any grudges against us, but I'd rather not be around her in this situation' I explained. Chad put his hand on my knee and rubbed it gently.

'Don't worry, I know you'll think of something…' he assured. 'Did you make a decision? Are you actually running?'

'I still don't know…' I said and looked at my lap. 'I need to talk to Gaby first. I'll make the decision then… Of course, if she forgives me…'

'She will' he assured. 'You just gotta talk and apologize to her.'

'I know…' I said and looked up at his face. 'Have you seen her?'

'Nope. Maybe she's in school already. I know Troy wanted to wait by her locker, since she was running late' he explained.

'It's probably too late to catch her now, so I'll try next break' I said and smiled at him. 'Thank you for… existing.'

Chad laughed. 'What?'

'I'm really glad to have you. I needed some comfort' I told him. He grinned.

'That's what I'm here for' he said and kissed my lips.

* * *

><p>I sat down at the table in the cafeteria and looked around. It seemed I was the first one to arrive at our table, so I figured others would be joining me soon. I haven't seen Gabriella all day. At that point I didn't know whether she was doing a really excellent job at avoiding me or if she just didn't come to school.<p>

Scott dropped down on the seat next to me.

'Hey, Taylor' he greeted and placed his tray in front of himself. I smiled at him.

'Hey.'

'Where's everybody?' he wondered and grabbed his fork. I shrugged.

'Still in the line, maybe' I said, put my elbow on the table and leaned my head on my hand.

'Ugh, since when does pasta with ketchup qualify as spaghetti?' he asked and spun his plate around, trying to get a better look at the food.

'I have no idea' I admitted. Scott shook his head.

'I can't cook to save my life, but even I know better.'

'It's always been that way' I told him. He looked at me.

'I know that was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn't…' he said and picked up some pasta on his fork. 'Hey, did I hear it right? You're running for class president?

I sighed. 'I guess… I don't really know yet.'

'What do you mean?' he asked and put the fork in his mouth.

'It's complicated… I'm a part of this, but I still have my doubts' I explained. He nodded his head and swallowed the pasta.

'Either way, you have my vote' he assured with a smile. Then he gave me a suspicious look. 'Hey, this is politics, right? Shouldn't you be trying really hard to bribe me to vote for you?'

I giggled. 'What would I have to do?'

'Hmmm… Oh, I know! If you win, organize a book club, where we meet once every two weeks to discuss the Lord of The Rings series' he said excitedly. I laughed.

'That's the nerdiest you can do?' I asked jokingly. He shrugged.

'Unfortunately, I get a lot nerdier than that' he admitted. 'But, if you don't like that idea, just do something about this food. I'm not saying we need a chef around here, but getting ketchup that actually contains tomatoes would be nice.'

I smiled. 'I'll see what I can do.'

'Hey guys' someone said. I looked up and saw Chad and Troy standing by the table. Chad sat down next to me and pecked my cheek. I looked at Troy.

'Hey, have you seen Gaby?' I wondered. Troy sat down across from us and shook his head.

'She's not at school today' he explained. 'I called her in the morning and she said she wouldn't be coming, because she had a stomachache, I think.'

I nodded my head and looked down. Okay, so she wasn't avoiding me. Or maybe she was? Maybe she didn't feel like seeing my face today, so she just decided to stay home? Until I talked to her, I wouldn't know. I looked back at Troy.

'Did she say anything?' I asked. 'Was she angry?'

He stared at me until he fully understood what I meant.

'No, she didn't… To be fair, we didn't really talk about it, so I wouldn't know…' he said and shrugged. I smiled weakly.

'Thanks anyways.'

The whole day went by really lazily. Since Gaby wasn't at school, I felt lonely. I still had the guys to hang out with, but it wasn't the same. She was my "corridor buddy" and it felt really odd not having her by my side. Don't get me wrong, her and I both skipped school sometimes, especially when feeling sick, but I don't remember it being so bad. The fact we had some unsettled things only made it worse.

On my way to Chemistry Club I saw some freshmen hanging their campaign posters. They were all nicely decorated and actually pretty loud looking. You know, stickers, markers, glitter, pictures, bubbly letters. I guessed they went for form over substance, since there wasn't much information about what their actual plans would be. I couldn't stop myself from noticing all the mistakes and thinking that if I were to do it, I'd do it much better. Not that I cared, of course.

The bell rang and eventually everyone left the lab. A few people asked if it was true I was running, so by the fifth time answering that same question, I managed to perfect the art of neutral answers. I didn't want to promise anything yet, especially since my fellow Chemistry nerds seemed pretty pumped about it, including our supervisor, Mrs. Thornton.

I was on lab duty that day, so once all the students left, Mrs. Thornton left me the key and told me to lock up when I finished. I just got done washing the beakers and was about to dry them, when I heard a knock on the door. I looked up and Chad walked inside.

'Hey there' he said and closed the door behind himself. I smiled.

'Hey.'

'I was gonna wait in front of the school, but I bumped into Scott and he said you had something to do here' he explained, left his stuff on one of the desks and walked up to me. 'So I came here.'

'Yeah, I have to clean up' I told him. 'It's my turn today.'

'Alright. You need help?' he asked and picked up one of the wet beakers. 'Hey, can you make babies in those?'

'No' I said and took it out of his hand. He grinned and I rolled my eyes. 'I'll be done in a moment, can you please not break anything in that time?'

'I'll try, but I can't make any promises' he said as he flashed me a mischievous smile and started walking around the lab. I carefully dried the beakers and watched him. He stopped in front of one of the cabinets and turned to me. 'Do you have anything cool here?'

'What do you mean?' I asked as I reached for another beaker. He shrugged.

'I don't know… Like lasers or something?'

I laughed. 'No, unfortunately not…' I replied. When he walked up to me, I put the last beaker down and smiled at him. 'Although, I know which things would explode, if you mixed them.'

'Let's do it' he suggested seriously. I shook my head.

'That could get us suspended… or even expelled' I reminded. Chad grinned and stepped closer to me.

'Let's do it' he repeated. I laughed once again.

'You're weird, Danforth' I told him and carried the tray with the beakers to the supply room. Chad shrugged.

'I'm all about livin' on the edge' he admitted. I closed the supply room and giggled.

'Well, you do barely pass each school year, so it would make sense…' I joked. He gasped.

'Seriously?' he asked with a smile, but he was really shocked. 'Woah, that's heartless, Tay. That's cold.'

'I'm sorry' I said and walked up to him. He put his hand on his chest and took an exaggerated breath.

'I just… wow…. Getting burnt by my own girlfriend…' he said. 'You just slam dunked my ass so hard, I don't think I'll recover.'

I laughed and pecked his cheek. 'Did that help?'

'I think I'll need more of that…' he said and pursed his lips.

'I'll need to get rid of this coat first' I told him and took off my lab coat. I hung it up and turned to him. He smirked.

'I could've helped you with that' he pointed out. I gave him a weird look and he leaned against a desk. 'I'm not saying I need practice, but… I could use some practice.'

I smiled to cover up the fact that all this very suggestive talking made me blush a little. I decided to play it cool. I sat on top of another desk, across from Chad.

'Hey, aren't you grounded?' I asked. 'Weren't you supposed to get straight home after school?'

'Yeah, but here's the thing' he said. 'My mother said that I can have no friends over, but when I asked if it'd be okay for you to come and do homework with me, she said that'd be alright as long as we hung out in the dining room, so she knew we were actually studying.'

I gave him a suspicious look. 'Where's the catch?'

'There's no catch' he said. 'I am having serious trouble with Math right now and I could really use your help, Tay.'

'Really?' I asked unsurely. He nodded his head.

'Yeah. I don't wanna _barely pass _this year' he said with a smile. I giggled.

'I'm sorry about that' I told him. 'But I can't do it today. I was planning on going over to Gaby's place to apologize.'

'Seriously? Why not wait until tomorrow, when she's in school?' he wondered. I shook my head.

'I don't wanna put it away, Chad. I feel so bad for how I behaved towards her and it's been haunting me since yesterday' I explained.

'Can't you call her?'

'Apologizing over the phone is cheap and honestly, I wouldn't accept that sort of apology.'

'I guess you're right' he said and stepped closer to me. 'So that means no hanging out together?'

'Not today, no' I replied. He got even closer to me, so that he was standing in between my legs. He gave me a sad look.

'I've only been grounded for two days and I already wanna run away' he complained. 'This sucks.'

I wrapped my arms around his neck. 'It sucks for the both of us, Chad. I would love to spend all this time with you. I can't be too long on my own, with my own thoughts. I just can't.'

Chad chuckled and rested his hands on my hips. 'And you think spending a lot of time with me is healthy?' he questioned. I smiled innocently.

'Well, I heard kissing was very healthy…' I pointed out. He raised his eyebrows and smiled.

'Wow, I heard that too. This is no coincidence, huh?'

Instead of playing along and responding, I pulled him closer and pressed my lips against his. That was something I've been thinking of since the previous day. And the kissing we did before school didn't make up for it. This, however, was much better. The intimacy of an empty classroom provided that exciting and romantic vibe, and it had an impact on the both of us.

At that point I wasn't even surprised that little was needed to trigger a reaction. It literally took Chad a few smirks and witty jokes to get me to swoon into his arms. But I definitely could feel myself becoming more confident around him, ready to take everything into my own hands. It was as if I were more keen to initiate a kissing situation than Chad was.

I pulled away and gazed into his eyes. He smiled and licked his lips.

'You know what?' he whispered.

'What?'

He leaned closer. 'I'm loving that strawberry chapstick' he whispered into my ear and placed a kiss below it. I giggled.

'I knew you'd like it' I said and rested my hands on his cheeks. He hesitated before bringing his lips a bit lower, probably testing how far he could take it. I didn't protest; I simply couldn't. It felt way too good to push him away. He delicately sucked on my sensitive skin. Suddenly, he bit it gently. I shut my eyes and subconsciously stopped myself from making any kind of sound; I was used to covering up my enjoyment, because I knew what it did to Chad's ego. He was great, but I couldn't have him constantly reminding me that.

He pulled away and when I opened my eyes, he was already staring at me with a smirk on his face. I bit my lips.

'How was that?' he asked. I nodded my head and he gave me an unsure look. 'Really? To be honest, I saw it on The Walking Dead last night and wanted to try it out.'

I gently slapped the back of his head and he laughed. 'Why do you have to ruin everything?' I questioned seriously. He pouted.

'I thought you'd laugh' he admitted. I gave him an irritated look.

'I would, but my mind was in a different state' I told him. He smirked.

'Alright, let's go back then.'

He wasted no time before crashing his lips into mine. I once again wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. My actions made him realize he could take it a bit further with me, so he slowly ran his hands up my thighs while deepening the kiss. That only made me want more of him.

Suddenly, we heard the door open. We both looked at it and saw Scott standing there. He had a very surprised look on his face.

'Ummm… I'm sorry' he said and looked away from us. Chad sighed and stepped back from me. Scott cleared his throat. 'I left my sweater. It's right there.'

He walked up to one of the tables, pulled out a chair and picked his sweater up. Then he looked at us.

'That's all. I'll be going now. See you tomorrow… And I'm sorry' he said and quickly made his way back to the door. He stopped there and turned to us. 'I'm really sorry. Go on.'

When he left, Chad rolled his eyes. 'That dude has the worst timing.'

That's when I came back to my senses. I hopped off the desk and went to get my stuff. Chad grabbed my arm to stop me.

'Hey, wait, where you going?' he asked.

'We have to get out of here' I told him and he let go off my arm. 'Someone might come and see us here and we might get in trouble.'

'Aw, come on, Tay' he whined. I shook my head.

'No. This room is my responsibility and if something happens before I return the keys, it'll all be my fault. I've got enough trouble to worry about, Chad. I don't need more' I said seriously and picked up my backpack from the floor. Chad sighed.

'It was so nice…' he groaned. I put my backpack on and looked at him.

'I know… We'll get back to it, I promise. Now let's go, please' I begged. He didn't say anything; he just grabbed his things and we left the room.

* * *

><p>I stood in front of Gaby's front door and took a very deep breath. It did help to have Chad walk me there, but once he gave me a good luck kiss and left, I felt a lot less courageous. He was really supportive and he made me realize one very important thing: Gaby was my best friend. If anyone in the world had a big understanding for my sometimes difficult behavior, it was her. He pointed out that if she wasn't interested in dealing with it, she wouldn't become my friend in the first place. And he was right. All I had to do was talk to her and apologize.<p>

It seemed easy, so why did it scare me? I knew I was proud… Hell, I still am. Always had been and always will be. Admitting I made a mistake was difficult, especially since 90% of the time I did anything, I was convinced I did it perfectly right. The worst part was that sometimes my actions hurt people. And I didn't pay attention to that at first, simply because once I decided I did something right, I didn't analyze it any further. That is probably why I was always so nervous before apologizing. I felt stupid, because saying things that hurt people was something I did very often. And apologizing for it felt like apologizing for being me. The only reason I hated that was because I couldn't control the urge to say mean things. Like when I told Gaby I wanted her to "back off". And before I said it, I didn't even think that would hurt her. Only hearing myself say it out loud made me realize what a terrible thing that was. And even at that moment I couldn't find the guts to apologize to her. Now I was scared, because I felt like I seriously crossed the line. The only thing that saved my ass from this awful situation was that I fully understood my mistake and knew what had to be done to make up for it.

I finally rang the doorbell and stepped back from the door. I bit my lips and balled my fists, trying to keep the last bits of courage inside my body. I wasn't going to run away. I was going to stand there and face the consequences of my immature behavior.

Gaby opened the door a moment later. She was a little surprised to see me. I decided to open my mouth, just in case she wanted to slam the door in my face.

'Hey' I greeted.

'Hi' she replied. I took a deep breath and let the air out slowly.

'I came to talk' I informed and finally looked at her face. 'Do you have a minute?'

'Yeah, of course' she said sounding really friendly, not what I expected at all. She moved out of the doorway. 'Come on in.'

I did as she requested and she closed the door. I took a look around the hall.

'I'm alone' she said, as if she knew what I was thinking. 'My mom's at work, still.'

'Oh, alright' I said and looked down. 'You weren't at school today… You okay?'

'Yes. It was just one of those days… But the painkillers helped a lot and it's fine now' she told me. We were silent for a moment. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't just blurt out an apology, that would be weird. On the other hand, I didn't know how else to start. Before I could tell her what I really wanted to say, I had to make things right.

'How about we go up to my room?' she suggested. 'My mom's got some papers on the table in the living room and I wouldn't wanna make a mess.'

I nodded my head and we made our way upstairs, to Gaby's room. As I followed her, I tried to come up with an apology speech worthy of her forgiveness. We walked into her room, she took a seat on her bed and looked at me.

'Okay, so what's up?' she wondered. I sighed, put my backpack down on the floor and decided to go for it. It just had to be done.

'First of all, I wanted to say I'm sorry' I told her. She shook her head.

'Don't worry about it, it's fine-'

'No, it's not' I cut her off. 'I behaved like… Like the worst type of friend. And I know I do that sometimes… Too often, actually. I'm still learning to control it. However, I should've not treated you this way. Also, I know I should've told you I didn't want to run for class president instead of brushing you off each time you asked about it. I did a wrong thing when I blamed it all on you, when in reality it was all my fault – I belittled this issue and unknowingly got myself into this thing. But it's not your fault, Gaby. It's mine. I behaved like a child when I blamed you for getting me into this instead of handling it like a mature person should. I'm just so sorry, Gaby. I really am.'

I took a deep breath and examined her reaction. That was by far the most sincere apology I've ever executed. It was sincere, because I understood my mistake and, for the first time ever, managed to fully accept it. I just hoped Gaby would appreciate that.

She smiled at me after a moment, got off the bed and pulled me into a hug.

'Thanks, Tay' she told me. 'I accept the apology.'

I hugged her back. 'Thank you.'

After we pulled away, Gaby sighed.

'I guess I should apologize, too' she said. 'I still think it's partially my fault, because I could've asked you for your permission instead of applying for you.'

'Well, I mislead you' I admitted and smiled at her. 'So I guess we're even.'

We hugged once again.

'Let's never fight again, Tay' Gaby said. 'Or at least let's just talk more.'

'You got it' I promised. Gaby pulled away from me and returned to her bed.

'Okay, so I've been thinking of a way to get you out of the elections' she told me. 'We could just-'

'Um, actually' I cut her off. I took a seat on her chair and looked at her. 'I talked to my parents yesterday… Well, Dad didn't really help much, but he told me to talk to my mom and she… She told me, and I totally agree, that instead of talking my way out of this, I could actually give it a try…'

'You mean like… actually taking part in the elections?' she asked in surprise. I nodded my head.

'Yes… She made me realize it would actually be less trouble and I could get some benefit from it… It turns out it's not as bad as I thought' I admitted and Gaby giggled.

'So she basically talked you into it?' she asked. I shrugged.

'Maybe… I think she might had. But bottom line is I decided to run' I announced. 'And I could use some help with the campaign.'

Gaby gave me a very serious, yet confused look. I smiled.

'I mean, I could do it myself' I said jokingly. 'But I'm already one day behind everyone… and I don't think my ideas are enough to attract potential voters, so…'

Gaby smiled and hopped off her bed.

'I've got sooo many ideas!' she said excitedly and walked up to a cabinet near her desk, where she stored all of her paper materials. I giggled.

'I sure hope so.'

* * *

><p>I walked into my house and the first thing I saw were four plain, giant boxes in the hallway. I stared at them and started wondering what was going on. Was someone moving out? Or maybe moving in? Did my parents buy something big? What could it be?<p>

I decided to search for my parents in the kitchen and found them there. My father was sitting at the table and drinking coffee, while Mom was looking through the fridge.

'Hey' I said. Dad nodded in response.

'Hey, Tay' Mom greeted and looked at Dad. 'James, if you really didn't want me to know you sometimes sneak out for a night snack, then you should've had the decency of not leaving the empty package here.'

She showed him the empty Snickers wrapper and he rolled his eyes.

'Sorry, I was tired' he defended himself. Mom put her hand on her hip.

'Oh, so you were too tired to get rid of the evidence, but awake enough to raid the entire house in search of sweets, huh?' she asked. The look she gave him meant only one thing; she wasn't joking. Dad sighed.

'Well, if you didn't keep hiding it every single time…' he started and I laughed. Mom just held her hand up.

'That's it. Starting tomorrow you are changing your eating habits' she announced and threw the empty wrapper in the trash. 'There's no way I'm letting you get a heart attack in your late forties and leave me with three kids and a grandchild.'

'I don't know, baby' Dad said and ran his hand over his face. 'To me it sounds like I'd finally get some rest.'

'Don't even joke like that' she warned and closed the fridge. I cleared my throat.

'I don't mean to interrupt your lovely afternoon, but I have a question. What's up with the boxes?' I asked. Dad hit the table with his palm.

'That's right, I had to get rid of it' he said, rose from his seat and left the kitchen. I sat on his chair and Mom sat across from me.

'That's a surprise for Destiny' she explained. 'Your father and I had some time on our hands and since we've been planning this for a while now, we decided it was the right time to do it. We drove to the Baby Center store and got a crib and some other things.'

'That's awesome' I said with a smile. 'Des will love it. She's been stressing out about it for so long.'

'I know, that's why we decided to help her out' Mom admitted. 'Now we have to make sure she doesn't buy anything on her own and somehow convince her she'll have time to take care of it to keep the surprise a secret.'

'Wait, so where are you guys gonna keep all the stuff?'

'Tony's room. His closet is empty now that he's moved, so there's enough space there. We already took everything out of the original boxes and put them in the plain ones, just in case she came across them.'

'Oh, that's a good idea' I said and reached for a grape from the fruit bowl. 'Hey, didn't Destiny take the car today?'

'She did, but she got back from work early today' Mom explained. 'She left the car, had lunch and left to see Jerome. So we used the opportunity to get the stuff for her.'

'Sneaky' I pointed out. Mom shrugged.

'Well, that's the only way to keep surprises a secret in this house' she said and gave me a penetrating look. I held my hands up.

'Hey, don't look at me' I said quickly. 'Even if I knew something, I wouldn't tell you.'

'I don't need to know everything, just details' she told me. 'Should I take a day off? What is he planning?'

'I'm sure you'll know soon enough, Mom' I replied with a smile. She shook her head.

'Alright then. Since you're on your father's team, I cannot tell you what I'm going to get him' she said and smiled innocently. I gave her a suspicious look.

'Nice try, Mom. I'm still not telling you' I said. Mom rolled her eyes.

'Okay, fine. I guess I can handle two suspenseful weeks' she said. 'How come you came home so late?'

I glanced at the digital clock on the oven. It read 7pm. I guess Gaby and I got a little carried away while planning the campaign. We came up with some basic ideas and managed to design a poster on her laptop. We still needed to take some decent pictures of my face to attach to the poster. Gaby said we could easily use one of the pictures we already had of me, but I disagreed. I figured that if I had to attract voters, my usual nerdy face couldn't scare them away. I suggested we took some new pictures after school the next day. I already knew I wasn't going to be satisfied with them, but I guessed it was better than attaching a picture of me from a Science Fair from a year ago.

'I went to Gaby's place.'

'Oh, and? Did you talk to her?' she wondered. I nodded my head.

'Yeah, we talked it all out. We're cool now' I said and Mom smiled. 'She also agreed to help me with the campaign and stuff. She actually showed me some of her ideas today.'

'Anything specific?'

'Yes, although we still need to decide on the most important goals and maybe some slogans, I don't know' I said and got up from my chair. I picked a juice box up from the counter and took a clean glass from the dish drying rack. 'I'm just so happy she agreed to help, Mom. I can't imagine having to do all this on my own.'

'I'm sure that even if she had no ideas at all, she'd still help you' Mom told me. Meanwhile, her phone started buzzing on the kitchen table. She picked it up and unlocked it. 'That's what friends are for.'

'I know. Gaby's great, I couldn't have asked for a better friend' I admitted as I poured myself some juice. Dad walked into the kitchen.

'Alright, it's all hidden upstairs' he said and dropped on the chair heavily. Mom smiled at him.

'Thank you, honey. Listen, Destiny just texted me. She said that Jerome's friend's car broke down and he won't be able to drive her back home, so she will just spend the night at his place' she said and looked down at her phone. Dad scoffed.

'Hell she won't' he said, got up and took the car keys from the table. 'Tell her I'm coming to get her.'

'James, she didn't ask me to pick her up' Mom cleared up. Dad shook his head.

'She doesn't have to. There's no way she's staying at his place, especially for the night' he said seriously. Mom gave him an irritated look.

'Don't you think it's a little too late for you to be overprotective?' she asked. Dad ignored her and headed out of the kitchen.

'Tell her to text me his address' he called from the hall. My mother sighed.

'Fine' she replied, texted Destiny and put her phone down. Then she looked at me. 'He's unbelievable.'

'Well, we both heard Destiny when she complained that Jerome's place was a dump' I said. Mom shook her head.

'I would much rather have her here, too. But she's been independent all this time and we shouldn't try to interfere in her life now' she told me. I shrugged and took another sip.

'Dad said that as long as we live under his roof, we have to do whatever he tells us to do' I reminded. Mom played with her cellphone.

'Yes, but that was before Destiny got pregnant. And it was a warning for the three of you… And now that she's pregnant, what else can she do? I mean, could it get worse?' she said melancholically. I licked my lips and hesitated before answering.

'They could get married.'

'Taylor!' Mom scolded me. I laughed.

'Relax Mom, I was just joking' I told her. She gave me a disapproving look.

'Do not even joke like that, this is serious' she said. I realized she got upset, so I decided to try to calm her down. I sat in front of her.

'Well, I don't think she would anyway' I admitted. 'She said he wasn't a long-term-relationship sort of guy, so…'

Mom looked at me and furrowed her brows. 'She did?'

I groaned. 'This is why I can't talk to anyone' I complained. 'Why do people trust me with their secrets?'

'What exactly did she say?' mom asked seriously. I sighed.

'I can't tell, Mom. I've already said too much' I told her and got up. 'Try talking to her, maybe? She should tell you. She's scared of telling Dad things, but she will want to talk to you.'

'Promise me it's nothing bad' she said and looked up at me. I put my hand on her shoulder.

'It's not, I promise' I assured and gave Mom a hug. I knew she worried about my sister a lot, so I felt bad for saying something that made her even more concerned. 'She's just scared, I think.'

'I know she is, Tay' Mom said and stroked my head. 'That's why we have to do anything we can to help her get through it.'

'When do we start with the nursery?' I wondered. Mom shrugged after I pulled away.

'I still don't know.'

'Well, when you do, you should let me know. And consider me signed up.'

Mom smiled at me. 'You got it.'

'Seriously, just talk to her' I advised. 'She needs it and obviously won't come looking for comfort, that's not her style. And while you're at it, ask her about Dad's anniversary plans.'

My mother raised her eyebrows. 'Why?'

'Because she knows more than I do' I admitted and grabbed my glass from the counter. 'She actually helps him organize it.'

'Organize what?' she asked. I was about to reply, but stopped myself right before I opened my mouth. I turned to Mom and gave her an angry look.

'Don't do that' I said. She laughed.

'I'm sorry, Tay. You just make it so easy.'

Taylor M.


End file.
